The FTC announced the grant of a petition from DaVita Inc. requesting approval of a proposed divestiture related to its acquisition of Gambro Healthcare. The FTC challenged this acquisition in the renal dialysis industry, requiring DaVita to divest 69 renal dialysis clinics.
The agency also announced its decision to grant a petition from The Cypress Group relating to a 2001 consent order concerning the Nestle Holdings, Inc./Ralston Purina Company. Cypress sought permission to sell The Meow Mix Company to the Del Monte Corporation.
In other merger-related news, a bankruptcy judge has approved Winn-Dixie's proposed sale of 17 supermarkets in an auction . . . NYSE is facing some competition from Deutsche Boerse for Euronext, which operates a European exchange. Sources say talks between NYSE and Euronext are "far advanced" so we'll have to see how this one plays out . . . The EU has approved a deal that would allow Italy's Lottomatica to acquire U.S. lottery firm, GTech.
