Source: http://www.justice.gov/atr/cases/f270800/270856.htm
Timestamp: 2014-09-30 11:10:20
Document Index: 248108635

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 18', '§ 25', '§ 18', '§ 25', '§ 1331', '§ 22', '§ 1391']

Complaint : U.S. v. Unilever N.V., et al.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Litigation I Section 450 Fifth Street, N.W. Suite 4100 Washington, DC 20530,
v. UNILEVER N.V. Weena 455, PO Box 760 3000 DK Rotterdam The Netherlands,
UNILEVER PLC Unilever House 100 Victoria Embankment London EC4Y 0DY United Kingdom,
CONOPCO, INC. 800 Sylvan Avenue Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632,
ALBERTO-CULVER CO. 2525 Armitage Avenue Melrose Park, Illinois 60160,
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | CASE NO:
CASE NO.: 1:11-cv-00858
JUDGE: Jackson, Amy Berman
DATE FILED: 5/6/2011
The United States of America, acting under the direction of the Attorney General of the United States, brings this civil action to enjoin the proposed acquisition of Alberto-Culver Co. (“Alberto Culver”) by Unilever N.V., Unilever PLC, and Conopco, Inc. (collectively, “Unilever”) and to obtain other equitable relief. The acquisition would likely substantially lessen competition in the United States in markets for value shampoo, value conditioner, and hairspray sold in retail stores in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. § 18, and result in higher prices for consumers in these markets. The United States alleges as follows:
1. Unilever and Alberto Culver are both large consumer products companies that sell shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, and many other products. On September 27, 2010, Unilever agreed to acquire Alberto Culver for approximately $3.7 billion. 2. Value shampoo and value conditioner (collectively, “value shampoo and conditioner”) are the lowest priced shampoos and conditioners sold in stores and almost always sell for less than $2.00 per bottle. Unilever sells value shampoo and conditioner under the Suave Naturals brand; Alberto Culver sells value shampoo and conditioner under the Alberto VO5 brand.
3. The proposed acquisition would eliminate substantial head-to-head competition between Unilever’s Suave Naturals and Alberto Culver’s Alberto VO5 brands and give Unilever a near monopoly of the sale of value shampoo and conditioner in the United States with shares of approximately 90 percent in these two markets.
4. The proposed acquisition would also eliminate substantial head-to-head competition between Unilever and Alberto Culver in the United States for hairspray sold in retail stores. Unilever sells hairspray mainly under the Suave, Suave Professional, Rave, and Dove brands. Alberto Culver sells hairspray primarily under the TRESemmé, Nexxus, and Alberto VO5 brands. The proposed acquisition would make Unilever the largest seller of hairspray in the United States by increasing its market share from approximately 24 percent to over 45 percent.
5. Because the acquisition likely substantially lessens competition in the United States for the sale of value shampoo, value conditioner, and hairspray sold in retail stores, it violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act.
II. JURISDICTION, VENUE, AND INTERSTATE COMMERCE
6. The United States brings this action pursuant to Section 15 of the Clayton Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. § 25, to prevent and restrain Defendants from violating Section 7 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. § 18. The Court has subject-matter jurisdiction over this action pursuant to Section 15 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. § 25, and 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1337(a), and 1345.
7. Defendants Unilever and Alberto Culver manufacture, market, and sell consumer products, including shampoo, conditioner, and hairspray, in the flow of interstate commerce, and their production and sale of these products substantially affect interstate commerce. Defendants Unilever and Alberto Culver transact business and are found in the District of Columbia, through, among other things, selling consumer products to customers in this District. Venue is proper for Alberto Culver and Conopco, Inc. in this District under 15 U.S.C. § 22. Venue is proper in the District of Columbia for Unilever N.V., a Dutch corporation, and Unilever PLC, an English corporation, under 28 U.S.C. § 1391(d). 8. Defendants have consented to personal jurisdiction and venue in this judicial district. III. THE DEFENDANTS 9. Unilever N.V. and Unilever PLC are corporations respectively organized under the laws of the Netherlands and England, with headquarters in Rotterdam and London. They wholly own Conopco, Inc., a New York corporation and U.S. subsidiary of Unilever N.V. and Unilever PLC. In addition to hair care products, Unilever owns more than 400 brands of consumer products such as Hellmann’s, Lipton, Surf, Dove, Suave, and Vaseline. Unilever had $62 billion in sales in 2010.
10. Unilever’s Suave Naturals brand is the most popular U.S. brand of value shampoo and conditioner, accounting for approximately 50 percent of value shampoo and conditioner sales. Unilever’s hairspray brands (primarily Suave, Suave Professionals, Rave, and