Intermarché notified the Autorité de la concurrence of its plan to acquire 200 food retail stores operated under the Casino group banner[1] To take account of the stores’ difficult economic situations, the Autorité granted the Intermarché group, at its request, a derogation from the suspensive effect of merger control[2] which enabled Intermarché to complete the transaction without waiting for the Autorité to issue its decision was without prejudice to the final decision to be taken by the Autorité at the end of its investigation and competitive analysis could call into question certain acquisitions by considering that remedies were necessary in areas where there would be insufficient competition for consumers after the transaction the Autorité has cleared Intermarché to acquire control of the stores in question subject to divesting 11 stores to competing banners in order to ensure that consumers have access to sufficient alternatives and can benefit from competition when buying mass-market products The examination of the transaction concerned stores other than the 61 stores operated under the Casino group banner whose acquisition by Intermarché was previously examined and cleared by the Autorité on 11 January 2024 subject to the divestiture of three stores that have already changed banners in Lons-le-Saunier (39) The three stores were divested to the Carrefour group[3] Intermarché operates various banners in the food retail sector Netto (hard discount) and Les Comptoirs de la Bio Intermarché and the target stores are active in the downstream food retail markets notably through its subsidiary Agromousquetaires and a buyer in the markets for the supply of everyday consumer goods where the target stores are also present as buyers The Autorité considered that the transaction was not likely to significantly strengthen Intermarché’s purchasing power in the upstream markets for the supply of everyday consumer goods given the low purchasing share of the former Casino group stores acquired by Intermarché The Autorité also found that the transaction was not likely to place the parties’ suppliers in a situation of economic dependency[4] the Autorité concluded that the transaction was likely to hinder competition in the market for the retail distribution of food products in 11 catchment areas surrounding the former Casino group stores in Arc-lès-Gray (70) The Autorité considered that in these areas where Intermarché would significantly strengthen its market power following the transaction there would be no credible and sufficient alternatives to Intermarché to a reduction in the diversity of the offering to the detriment of consumers in the areas concerned These commitments will ensure that a sufficient level of competition is maintained and that the interests of consumers are safeguarded in the markets concerned The proposed buyers will need to be approved by the Autorité which will ensure that they are able to provide a credible food retailing alternative in each of these areas The Autorité will ensure that the buyers have the skills and financial capacities to operate and develop the target stores on a long-term basis The divestitures must include all the components required to maintain the viability of the business and include the staff employed in the stores concerned prior to their takeover by Intermarché The commitments are intended to safeguard adequate local competition The aim is to allow a competitor to take over the stores and their activities in order to safeguard competition in the area concerned thereby ensuring that consumers have a diversified offering in terms of prices and products The store divestiture process is closely monitored by the Autorité in the months following the decision to clear the transaction The party cleared to carry out the transaction must present to the Autorité buyers capable of ensuring a valid takeover and then providing effective competition which will clear the effective divestiture of the store in question The divestitures do not therefore entail the closure of the stores While the effective conclusion of a merger is subject to clearance by the Autorité de la concurrence the Autorité may grant a derogation enabling the parties to finalise part or all of the transaction without waiting for the clearance decision in order to allow for the continuation of the business activities The granting of such a derogation is exceptional A derogation may be granted in cases where the acquired business is experiencing significant difficulties the granting of a derogation by the Autorité is without prejudice to the final decision taken at the end of the investigation divestitures) or even prohibit the transaction if it is detrimental to competition [1] Since the planned transaction was notified and after Intermarché informed the Autorité several target stores have been transferred back to the Casino group or removed from the scope of the acquisition 430-4 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce) by letter dated 1 March 2024 [3]Autorité decision 24-DCC-02 of 11 January 2024 Auchan and Casino entered into new alliances in 2024 The possible effects on competition of these purchasing alliances 420-1 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce) did not fall within the scope of the examination of this transaction the new entity has undertaken to divest either of the two stores identified As the earth shook in the Var and Alpes-Maritimes on Saturday evening a magnitude 4.4 earthquake in the Mediterranean was felt from Nice to Marseille Could the city of Marseille experience another such seismic event Marseille could indeed experience another earthquake Provence – of which Marseille is a part – has “often” experienced earthquakes the African tectonic plate plunges beneath the Eurasian plate the Trevaresse fault triggered a magnitude 6 earthquake that killed 46 people and destroyed 1,500 homes in Lambesc making it the largest earthquake in France in the last century an earthquake of magnitude 5.2 hit Corsica and the 6th Monaco and Provence in general are recognized as seismic zones Interviewed by the newspaper La Provence geologist Olivier Bellier asserts that “this type of earthquake occurs one to three times every 10 years or so” in south-eastern France It would therefore appear that this seismic episode will not be the last Including the actress telling us why she doesn’t use traditional wine glasses We frequently interview Parker—in fact, you can hear her on episode 14 of our Straight Talk podcast—and her Invivo & Co. partners We’ve chatted about everything from the tasting and selection process to Parker’s direct involvement with her wines’ development and marketing and even her charming take on the ideal wine glass SJP wines—including Parker’s Sauvignon Blanc a French rosé and a new Pinot Noir—and her low-alcohol There’s an Invivo X Sauvignon Blanc and a French rosé both of which were launched with the 2019 vintage Parker’s Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from vineyards in Marlborough while her rosé currently comes from the Lambesc commune in southern France’s Provence region Parker added the first red wine to the Invivo X wine The debut 2022 vintage blends Pinot Noir from Marlborough with a small amount of Pinot from Central Otago which has been gaining prominence as a great region for Pinot sometimes veering into ripe tropical fruit flavors She always thought of herself as a Chardonnay drinker, but “I think I used to feel like that slightly exposed myself as not a very complex person,” Parker told us where New Zealand wines are widely available Parker sampled many of them and fell hard for Sauvignon Blanc “I always thought of it as a much more kind of ‘littler’ wine and I always thought that I preferred kind of a bigger wine "She is fantastic," Invivo co-founder Tim Lightbourne told us she has wanted to be very involved and accessible naturally funny and passionate about enjoying a glass of wine She is a global star—we are just two old schoolmates from New Zealand—and we all just had a great time chatting away." Parker worked with the founders to select the final blends for bottling, but also on the name and label. The “X, Sarah Jessica Parker” is a nod to a letter signature; Parker hand-drew the “X” on the label and had it color-matched to a teal hue that’s one of her favorite colors in her line of shoes “It was December, which was funny to be imagining the summer," the actress told us via Zoom in spring 2020. "Though a different summer than we're probably going to have." The biggest hurdle was getting the wine samples from the south of France where the partners had worked with Vins Chevron Villette Cameron and Lightborne arrived with the potential components in a suitcase kicking off an hours-long tasting and blending session that started in the morning Parker is thrilled with how the final blend turned out “I think where we landed is very much where I hoped to be but it retains some of those immediately recognizable hallmarks of a rosé," she told us During Covid lockdowns, Parker hopped on plenty of video calls to work virtually with the Invivo winemakers to bridge the thousands of miles between New York and New Zealand the Invivo team shipped Sauvignon Blanc samples from Marlborough along with flasks and cylinders so Parker could create the same blends they were tasting (Husband Matthew Broderick pitched in to help.) "I thought the distance would make the kind of necessary communication impossible Each of the four bottlings in the Sevenly range—sparkling, Sauvignon Blanc, rosé and a red blend—features 7 percent alcohol by volume and under 100 calories per glass. While Sevenly is not available in the United States currently, the Invivo website notes plans to bring it Stateside “I will drink wine out of a wine glass,” Parker laughed to us But I started drinking wine more in Europe where wine often comes to the table in a little carafe … There was something that took the intimidation out of it for me; it felt more familiar So that's the way we drink wine in our house “It has lovely berry and chocolate flavors This blend has so much structure and depth … and I especially love chilling this one for 30 minutes before pouring a glass.” Aren't red wines supposed to be served at room temperature? Well, Parker is actually onto something. Lighter-bodied, fruit-forward red wines are best served at 50 to 60 degrees F—significantly cooler than most of us keep our rooms Serving a red wine too warm can accentuate the alcohol and make the wine feel flabby; keeping it on the cooler side preserves its freshness and bright fruit just what you want when enjoying a glass on a warm day The first family of Sicilian wine teams with French investors to make biodynamic, bi-cultur… As CEO of Houston’s Goodnight Hospitality—the group behind restaurants March, Rosie … Winemaker Jared Etzel moves on from Domaine Roy & Fils to success with a new Pinot Noir … Winemakers bringing the region’s terroir to the fore Top wine pros share the sweet wines they think deserve more love, from Pedro Ximénez Sherry … Castello Solicchiata is the volcano’s most historic noble winery. Why is it hidden away? Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker THE French Alps have been rocked by 140 mini-quakes in just 40 days - sparking fears a huge earthquake could strike at any time There are also fears the tremors could lead to a deadly avalanche hitting dozens of popular ski resorts in the Alps mountain According to Sismalp - an earthquake observation organisation - 140 minor tremors in the Maurienne part of Savoie region were recorded in the last 40 days The strongest tremor registered was 3.8 on the Richter scale Residents in the region have described how they had been getting used to being shaken awake at night in recent weeks told Europe1 radio: "The noise is like a storm coming from far way "The last earthquake was really frightening Since the end of August it has never stopped Every two days there is one and they are getting more common." Everyone in the village is talking about it." After a series of quakes along the French Riviera in 2014 a French specialist seismologist warned that south east of France would be hit by a "deadly" earthquake Remy Bossu from the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) in Paris told The Local: "We don't know when a big one will come but it will and there will be fatalities." The last time France was hit by a deadly quake was back in 1909 in the town of Lambesc in Provence - which left 46 people dead and 250 injured It measures six on the Richter scale and is the still the largest quake ever recorded in mainland France The series of earthquakes come just a month after Mexico was hit by a massive 8.1 magnitude quake off the southern Pacific coast killing at least 42. Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/