WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Jan. 9 that, following a public comment period, that the agency has approved a final order settling antitrust law violation allegations against Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (ACT), which has been attempting to acquire competitor Jet-Pep Inc.
ACT is a retail fuel station and convenience store operator and was set to acquire ownership of operation of 120 Jet-Pep retail stations. According to the FTC, ACT’s acquisition of Jet-Pep would have substantially reduced competitions for retail fuel in three areas of Alabama—Brewton, Valley and Monroeville—unless certain remedies were introduced.
To alleviate the FTC’s concern, ACT agreed to divest fuel stations in the three locations. Under terms of the agreement, ACT must identify a buyer or buyers within 120 days of acquiring Jet-Pep, receive FTC consent for the choices and then divest the stations.
The FTC voted 2-0 to approve the final order. Kara Todd of the Bureau of Competition is the FTC staff contact for the case.