The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is to carry out a full Phase 2 investigation into the proposed purchase of BDS Vending Solutions by Coca-Cola HBC Northern Ireland Limited, which is an indirectly owned subsidiary of Coca-Cola.
BDS Vending was founded in 1993 and has a network of about 2,000 vending machines. It operates depots in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Sligo, Limerick and Wexford and also has a small operation in Northern Ireland.
Coca-Cola HBC produces global brands Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Appletiser and Schweppes as well as Irish brands Deep RiverRock and Fruice.
The deal was first announced in February of this year.
The proposed purchase was notified to the CCPC in March and it said that following a preliminary examination, it has decided that a full Phase 2 investigation is needed to establish whether the purchase will result in a substantial lessening of competition in the State.
