Antitrust to make MegaFon sell stores if gets half mkt with Svyaznoy

MOSCOW, Mar 29 (PRIME) -- Russian big mobile operator MegaFon will have to sell some of its stores after the acquisition of retailer Svyaznoy if a joint share on the market exceeds 50%, head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service Igor Artemyev told reporters on Thursday.

“We’ve found such a configuration that nobody ever has more than a half. The law bans more than half. They won’t get it. If they buy anything and we calculate the market share in all regions, and it is 50%, we’ll demand a sale of these stores to competitors,” Artemyev said.

A common market share that raises no concerns is 30%, the official said.

The service said on Monday that MegaFon had applied for a permit to acquire Svyaznoy. Consideration of the case was postponed until May 21.

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