Bain Capital Clears EC Merger Review for Tingstad Group Acquisition
Summary
The European Commission issued a decision under Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 clearing Bain Capital Investors, LLC's proposed acquisition of sole control over Aktiebolaget Tingstad Papper (Tingstad Group). The notification was received on 24 March 2026 and examined under the simplified treatment procedure for certain concentrations. The Commission concluded the operation falls within the scope of the Merger Regulation and declared it compatible with the internal market and the EEA Agreement without opposition.
“For the reasons set out in the Notice on a simplified treatment, the European Commission has decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it compatible with the internal market and with the EEA Agreement.”
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GovPing monitors EC State Aid Cases for new consumer protection regulatory changes. Every update since tracking began is archived, classified, and available as free RSS or email alerts — 67 changes logged to date.
What changed
The European Commission issued a clearance decision for Bain Capital's acquisition of Tingstad Group under Article 6(1)(b) of the EU Merger Regulation. The transaction was reviewed under the simplified treatment procedure applicable to certain concentrations, indicating no substantive competition concerns meriting a full Phase II investigation. The Commission declared the operation compatible with the internal market and the EEA Agreement.
Merger parties — particularly private equity acquirors and their targets in distribution, manufacturing, and consumer product sectors — should note that concentrations meeting the simplified procedure criteria receive streamlined review. Compliance teams tracking cross-border M&A should confirm notification obligations under the EU Merger Regulation where EU thresholds are met, regardless of whether the parties are US or non-EU entities.
Archived snapshot
Apr 22, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Case M.12379 - BAIN CAPITAL /
TINGSTAD GROUP
Only the English text is available and authentic. REGULATION (EC) No 139/2004
MERGER PROCEDURE
Article 6(1)(b)
Date: 21/04/2026
In electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32026M12379
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DG Competition
Brussels, 21.4.2026 C(2026) 2759 final
PUBLIC VERSION
Bain Capital Investors, LLC 200 Clarendon Street Boston Massachusetts 02116 United States
Subject: Case M.12379 - BAIN CAPITAL / TINGSTAD GROUP Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 ( ) and Article 57 of the Agreement on the European 1 Economic Area ( ) 2
Dear Sir or Madam, (1) On 24 March 2026, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation, by which Bain
Capital Investors, LLC ('Bain Capital', United States) will acquire within the
meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation sole control over the whole of the undertaking Aktiebolaget Tingstad Papper ('Tingstad Group', Sweden) by way of purchase of shares. ( ) 3 (2) The business activities of the undertakings concerned are the following:
- Bain Capital is a private equity investment firm that invests in companies
across various industries, including information technology, healthcare, retail and consumer products, communications, financial services and manufacturing,
- Tingstad Group is a Swedish family-owned distributor of non-food
consumables, focused on the distribution of hygiene and cleaning products, foodservice disposables, bags and packaging. Tingstad Group also has a production arm focused on the manufacturing of paper carrier bags and e- commerce paper sacks, mainly in Sweden.
() OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the 'Merger Regulation'). With effect from 1 December 2009, the Treaty 1
on the Functioning of the European Union ('TFEU') has introduced certain changes, such as the replacement of 'Community' by 'Union' and 'common market' by 'internal market'. The
terminology of the TFEU will be used throughout this decision. () OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p. 3 (the 'EEA Agreement'). 2 () OJ C, C/ 2026/2068, 1.4.2026. 3
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
(3) After examination of the notification, the European Commission has concluded that the notified operation falls within the scope of the Merger Regulation and of paragraph 5(c) of the Commission Notice on a simplified treatment for certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004. ( ) 4 (4) For the reasons set out in the Notice on a simplified treatment, the European Commission has decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it compatible with the internal market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation and Article 57 of the EEA Agreement.
For the Commission
(Signed)
Anthony WHELAN
Director-General Directorate-General for Competition
() OJ C 160, 5.5.2023, p. 1 (the 'Notice on a simplified treatment'). 4
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