ABF and Wilmar to take joint control of yeast maker Hebei Mauri

The European Commission has published a prior notification of a proposed concentration under which Associated British Foods plc (ABF, United Kingdom) and Wilmar International Limited (Wilmar, Singapore) will acquire joint control of Hebei Mauri Food Co., Ltd. (Hebei Mauri, China), a manufacturer of bakers’ yeast. The notification, received by the Commission on 11 August 2026, was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (C series) on 20 August 2026 under reference C/2026/4515, as Case M.12533 – ABF / WILMAR / HEBEI MAURI.

The transaction is a candidate for treatment under the simplified procedure set out in the Commission Notice on a simplified treatment for certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (the Merger Regulation). The text is marked as having EEA relevance.

The transaction

The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares. Under Article 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation, ABF and Wilmar will acquire joint control of Hebei Mauri, which is currently solely controlled by ABF.

On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the Merger Regulation, although the final decision on this point is reserved.

The undertakings concerned

The business activities of the parties are as follows:

• ABF is a food and retail group active in five main business domains worldwide: ingredients (including yeast), sugar, grocery, agriculture and retail.
• Wilmar is active in oil palm plantation, oil extraction, edible oil refining, sugar refining and milling, consumer goods, special oils, oil chemicals, biodiesel and fertilizer production, and flour and rice processing.
• Hebei Mauri manufactures and supplies bakers’ yeast outside the EEA, primarily in China and other countries in Asia.

How to submit observations

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed concentration. Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of publication, and must always specify the reference M.12533 – ABF / WILMAR / HEBEI MAURI.

Observations may be sent by email to COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu or by post to the European Commission, Directorate-General for Competition, Merger Registry, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË.

Why it matters

The deal would bring together two global food and agribusiness groups in the control of a leading supplier of bakers’ yeast to the Chinese and wider Asian markets, a segment that sits outside the EEA. Although the simplified procedure signals that the transaction is unlikely to raise serious competition concerns, the 10-day observation window gives competitors, customers and other interested parties the opportunity to flag any issues to the Commission before it takes a final decision.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, C series, 20.8.2026 (official reference: C/2026/4515, Case M.12533 – ABF / WILMAR / HEBEI MAURI).