Tag: Competition

The FTC issued an administrative complaint against Ferrellgas Partners, L.P and Ferrellgas, L.P. (doing business as Blue Rhino) and UGI Corporation and AmeriGas Partners, L.P. (doing business as AmeriGas Cylinder Exchange), alleging that they illegally agreed on reducing the amount of propane in their tanks sold to a key customer. The complaint alleges that, together, Blue Rhino and AmeriGas controlled approximately 80 percent of the market for wholesale propane exchange tanks in the United States. In 2008, Blue Rhino and AmeriGas each decided to implement a price increase by reducing the amount of propane in their exchange tanks from 17 pounds to 15 pounds, without a corresponding reduction in the wholesale price. On 10/31/14, AmeriGas and Blue Rhino agreed to settle FTC charges of restraining competition. Faced with resistance from Walmart, the two companies colluded by secretly agreeing to coordinate their negotiations with Walmart in order to push it to accept the reduction. The consent agreements prohibit the companies from soliciting, offering, participating in, or entering or attempting to enter into any type of agreement with any competitor in the propane exchange business to raise, fix, maintain, or stabilize the prices or price levels of propane exchange tanks through any means – including modifying the fill level contained in propane tanks or coordinating communications to customers. The companies also are prohibited from sharing sensitive non-public business information with competitors except in narrowly defined circumstances.

The FTC challenged Verisk Analytics, Inc.’s proposed $650 million acquisition of EagleView Technology Corporation, alleging that it would likely reduce competition and result in a virtual monopoly in the U.S. market for rooftop aerial measurement products used by the insurance industry to assess property claims. The FTC issued an administrative complaint and authorized staff to seek a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in federal court.  On 12/16/14, Verisk Analytics, Inc. announced that it would abandon its plans to acquire EagleView, and the Commission dismissed the administrative complaint.

Service Corporation International (SCI), the nation’s largest provider of funeral and cemetery services,agreed to sell 53 funeral homes and 38 cemeteries to resolve FTC charges that its proposed $1.4 billion acquisition of Stewart Enterprises, Inc. (Stewart) is likely to substantially lessen competition in 59 communities throughout the United States. The FTC complaint alleges the deal as proposed would eliminate direct competition between the two firms. The FTC charges that the proposed deal would enable the merged firm unilaterally to raise prices charged to consumers in these local markets and would substantially increase the risk of collusion between SCI and the few remaining competitors in the affected local areas. The proposed order settling the FTC’s charges requires SCI and Stewart to sell the 53 funeral homes and 38 cemeteries to Commission-approved buyers within 180 days, and also requires SCI and Stewart to sell certain related assets and property needed to ensure that the buyers will be able to fully replicate the competition that would have been lost if the transaction were completed as proposed.