WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Nov. 22 that Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (ACT), a retail fuel station and convenience store operator, will divest three fuel stations in Alabama after allegations its proposed acquisition of Jet-Pep Inc. would violate federal antitrust law.
According to the FTC, the divestitures will ensure future competition in the Alabama locations of Brewton, Monroeville and Valley. An ACT fuel station in each location will be divested. The FTC says retail fuel markets are often small and localized.
Market power would be centralized under ACT in the affected locations without a divestiture, the FTC says. After ACT has divested the stations, it can acquire ownership or operation of 120 Jet-Pep fuel outlets with convenience stores.
The FTC voted 2-0 issue the complaint and accept the proposed consent order, which will go before public comment until Dec. 22. After this date, the FTC will determine whether to finalize the proposed consent order. The FTC noted it will soon publish the consent agreement in the Federal Register and that commenters can file electronic or paper comments by following instructions in the “Supplementary Information” section of the Federal Register notice.