The Bundeskartellamt has given the green light to Schüco International KG's acquisition of a 49% stake in GEST - Holding Gesellschaft m.b.H, which owns Stemeseder, a company focused on developing and selling aluminium profiles for hybrid windows and doors.

Schüco is a dominant player in the Germany-wide market for aluminium building systems, including window, door, and facade systems. Despite its strong market position, the competition authority found that the acquisition of Stemeseder would not substantially enhance Schüco's competitive position due to minor market share additions.

The market investigation conducted by the Bundeskartellamt involved surveys of over 200 customers and 60 competitors, revealing Schüco's dominance in the aluminium building systems market and barriers to entry for potential competitors. Factors such as market shares, product portfolio, customer relationships, and financial strength contributed to Schüco's dominant position.

Although Schüco objected to the Bundeskartellamt's reasoning, the competition authority concluded that the acquisition did not raise significant competition concerns. The limited horizontal overlap between the companies and the minor market share increase in Schüco's traditional business area were key factors in the approval decision.