Bundeskartellamt clears HUK’s acquisition of the pitstop vehicle repair chain

The Bundeskartellamt has cleared plans by HUK-Coburg Mobilitätsholding GmbH to increase its minority shareholding in Kulas Holding GmbH & Co. KG to 84.9 per cent. Kulas is the sole shareholder of pitstop.de GmbH, the operator of a vehicle repair chain with around 300 shops in Germany offering repair and maintenance services for all vehicle brands. The acquirer belongs to the HUK insurance group and offers various car-related services through its affiliated companies.

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt: “Although the existing corporate link between HUK and pitstop will be strengthened by the project that has now been cleared, this does not raise competition concerns. The links between HUK’s activities in the areas of vehicle insurance, used vehicle sales and leasing on the one hand and pitstop’s repair shop services on the other do not give rise to concerns about foreclosure effects.”

Even when taking into account HUK’s strong position as a vehicle insurer in Germany, there are still other independent car repair chains and manufacturer-approved repair shops to which other insurers as well as private customers and used car dealers can switch as alternative options. In August 2022, the European Commission had already cleared HUK’s initial participation in pitstop under the simplified merger control procedure.