whereas significant structural changes have taken place in the business-to-business (B2B) food supply chain in recent years, involving a high level of concentration and vertical and cross-border integration of entities operating in the production sector, and especially in the processing and retail sectors, as well as upstream to production.

The Commission also investigated links between the companies' activities on vertically related markets and in particular the relationship arising from the companies' activities in both the upstream wholesale of diesel, gasoline and light heating oil to resellers or retailers, and the downstream wholesale and retail supply of these products to end-customers.

Its operations are vertically integrated upstream in the manufacturing of key components, such as heads and media.

Its operations are vertically integrated upstream in the manufacturing of key components, such as read/write heads and media.

Samsung's HDD Business is not vertically integrated upstream in the manufacturing of components, but downstream in the manufacturing of computers and consumer electronics.

The simplified procedure followed by the Commission concerns merger transactions: (a) where the joint venture's turnover and total assets are each less than 100 million; (b) where, in the case of a merger or of acquisition of sole or joint control of another undertaking, the parties are not engaged in business activities on the same market as any other party to the merger; (c) where, in the case of a merger or of acquisition of sole or joint control of another undertaking, the parties are engaged in business activities on the same market as another party to the merger but their combined market share is not 15% or more for horizontal relationships and 25% or more for vertical relations ...[+++]hips.