It Takes Two Agreements to Clear a Merger

The Competition Bureau recently approved a merger in the retail gas industry after obtaining two separate consent agreements. Couche-Tard, who operates a network of convenience stores and retail gas stations across Canada, was given the go-ahead to purchase CST, another retail gas brand, on the condition that Couche-Tard sells some of its gas stations and gasoline supply contracts to Parkland Industries. However, the sale of assets to Parkland also raised concerns that competition could substantially lessened in some markets in Ontario. To address this issue, the Bureau also required Parkland to sell nine of its gasoline contracts and divest some of its assets to a competitor, MacEwen Petroleum.