CADE clears Plurix’s acquisition of Paraná Supermercados

On 25 September, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) unconditionally cleared the acquisition of 85% of Paraná Supermercados by Plurix, a company in the self-service retail market.  In May, the Office of the Superintendent General unconditionally cleared the acquisition; however, the Rapporteur Diogo Thompson requested adjudication. 

Plurix carries out the transaction, which receives investments from Patria - Private Equity Fund VI, managed by Patria Investments. Currently, the company controls different supermarket firms (directly and indirectly). “Paraná Supermercados” is the trade and business name of Cia Paraná de Alimentos, a company that operates a retail network in the municipalities of Campo Mourão, Ivaiporã, Goioerê, Pitanga, and Assis Chateaubriand, in the State of Paraná.  

The rapporteur of the case, Commissioner Diogo Thomson, analysed two main aspects of the acquisition: the level of competitive pressure and the market rivalry in the cities of Ivaporã and Pitanga. The SG identified relevant horizontal overlaps, and possibly an acquisition strategy of the buyer’s business group in the State of São Paulo and mainly in Paraná.  

After several assessments and analyses on the case, the rapporteur understood that no strong evidence was sufficient to revert the Office of the Superintendent General’s decision, even though some evidence showed rivalry in the relevant market analysed.  Nevertheless, he stated the need for monitoring new acquisitions related to Plurix’s business group.

Mr Thomson also highlighted the importance of requesting adjudication to the development of case laws, allowing “the Tribunal to increase knowledge related to different types of cases, leaving room for improvement of antitrust policy for competition defence.”

Access Case no. 08700.000711/2024-84