Cristal Union Gets French Antitrust Approval to Buy Vermandoise

Cristal Union, a French sugar maker, said it received antitrust approval to buy competitor Groupe Vermandoise and create the country’s second-largest producer of the sweetener.

France’s Competition Authority approved the takeover unconditionally on Jan. 20, Cristal Union, based in Villette-sur-Aube, said today in an e-mailed statement. The authorization will allow the transfer of control of Vermandoise to Cristal Union “in the coming days,” the company said.