Consolidation

FTC Blocks JAB Consumer Partners Veterinary Clinic Roll-Up: Private Equity Monopolization Strategy

| Importance: 9/10

The Federal Trade Commission ordered private equity firm JAB Consumer Partners to divest veterinary clinics in four metropolitan areas as a condition of its $1.65 billion acquisition of Ethos Veterinary Health, citing concerns about JAB’s roll-up strategy creating local monopolies in specialty …

Federal Trade Commission JAB Consumer Partners JAB Holding Company National Veterinary Associates Ethos Veterinary Health +1 more antitrust consolidation private-equity veterinary healthcare +4 more
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AbbVie Completes $63 Billion Allergan Acquisition: Pharmaceutical Industry Consolidates Into Oligopoly

| Importance: 9/10

AbbVie completed its $63 billion acquisition of Allergan after FTC approval requiring divestiture of digestive drug brazikumab to resolve antitrust concerns. The merger created a pharmaceutical giant with combined 2019 revenues of $48 billion and a diversified portfolio spanning immunology, …

AbbVie Allergan Federal Trade Commission antitrust consolidation merger pharmaceutical-industry regulatory-capture +3 more
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Bayer Completes $63 Billion Monsanto Acquisition: Agricultural Seeds and Chemicals Consolidate Into Big Four Oligopoly

| Importance: 10/10

Bayer AG completed its $63 billion acquisition of Monsanto after receiving antitrust approval from U.S. and European regulators, consolidating the agricultural seeds and chemicals industry from the “Big Six” into a “Big Four” oligopoly controlling over 60% of global seed …

Bayer AG Monsanto Department of Justice Antitrust Division European Commission +1 more antitrust consolidation merger agriculture oligopoly +4 more
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Anheuser-Busch InBev Completes $107 Billion SABMiller Acquisition: Beer Industry Consolidates Into Duopoly

| Importance: 9/10

Anheuser-Busch InBev completed its $107 billion acquisition of SABMiller, the largest-ever deal in the beer industry, after receiving antitrust approval requiring divestiture of SABMiller’s U.S. business (MillerCoors stake) to Molson Coors. The merger consolidated the global beer industry into …

Anheuser-Busch InBev SABMiller Molson Coors Department of Justice Antitrust Division antitrust consolidation merger beer-industry duopoly +2 more
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American Airlines-US Airways Merger Creates Airline Oligopoly: Big Four Control 75% of Market

| Importance: 9/10

The Department of Justice approved American Airlines’ merger with US Airways after initially suing to block the deal, completing a five-year consolidation wave that reduced major U.S. airlines from seven to four dominant carriers controlling three-quarters of the commercial air travel market. …

American Airlines US Airways Department of Justice Antitrust Division antitrust consolidation merger oligopoly regulatory-capture +2 more
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Delta-Northwest Merger Approved: Beginning of Airline Industry Consolidation Wave

| Importance: 9/10

The Department of Justice approved Delta Air Lines’ $2.6 billion stock-swap merger with Northwest Airlines, creating the world’s largest airline and triggering a decade-long consolidation wave that would reduce major U.S. carriers from ten to four dominant players controlling …

Delta Air Lines Northwest Airlines Department of Justice Antitrust Division antitrust consolidation merger oligopoly regulatory-capture +2 more
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AT&T Completes $86 Billion BellSouth Acquisition: Bell System Reassembled After 1984 Breakup

| Importance: 10/10

AT&T Inc. (formerly SBC Communications) completed its $85.8 billion acquisition of BellSouth Corporation with FCC approval, reassembling much of the former Bell System that was broken up in 1984 as an antitrust remedy. The merger consolidated control over telecommunications infrastructure across …

AT&T Inc. BellSouth Corporation Federal Communications Commission (FCC) SBC Communications antitrust consolidation merger telecommunications regulatory-capture +2 more
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Ares Management Acquires Aspen Dental: Private Equity Dental Roll-Up Strategy Launches Industry Consolidation

| Importance: 9/10

Private equity firm Ares Management acquired Aspen Dental in 2006, launching an aggressive roll-up strategy that would help consolidate the fragmented dental industry and establish the template for private equity’s systematic monopolization of healthcare sectors including dental, veterinary, …

Aspen Dental Ares Management Leonard Green & Partners American Securities antitrust consolidation private-equity dental healthcare +4 more
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Boeing-McDonnell Douglas Merger Approved: Defense Contractor Consolidation Creates Oligopoly

| Importance: 10/10

The Federal Trade Commission approved Boeing’s $13.3 billion acquisition of McDonnell Douglas, completing a merger wave that reduced major U.S. defense contractors from 51 firms in the late 1980s to just five dominant primes by the late 1990s. The consolidation wave was actively encouraged by …

Boeing McDonnell Douglas Federal Trade Commission Department of Defense Les Aspin +1 more antitrust consolidation merger defense-contractors oligopoly +3 more
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Riegle-Neal Act Enables Nationwide Bank Consolidation, Mortgage Market Transformation

| Importance: 7/10

President Clinton signs the Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act, removing Depression-era restrictions that prevented banks from operating across state lines. The law enables massive consolidation in the banking industry, with the number of commercial banks declining from over …

President Bill Clinton Senator Donald Riegle Representative Stephen Neal American Bankers Association NationsBank +1 more banking-deregulation housing-policy consolidation regulatory-capture housing
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