Todorić still waiting for green light to buy Mercator

The Competition Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina has still not published a decision on the admissibility of the purchase of Mercator by the Croatian concern Agrokor, it was confirmed for the Bosnian news agency Patria (NAP) from this institution.

Unofficially, the notification of the decision will be published in the next few days, but there are still no indications of what stance the Competition Council will take.

The purchase of Mercator, which in BiH also owns the DP Marketi chain of stores, by the Croatian concern Agrokor, headed by Ivica Todorić, who is also the owner of the Konzum retail chain, is the largest transaction of its kind in this region, worth nearly 500 million marks.

However, before the realization of the purchase agreement, it is necessary for the competent bodies of BiH, Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia to give the green light. The Competition Council of BiH earlier announced that the decision would be made in May, but everything has been prolonged, because, as it was said, a thorough check of all aspects of this agreement is underway. There is a fear that this transaction could allow Agrokor to establish a monopoly on the BiH market, Patria reports.