French twist?
Will Alcan's bid for Pechiney get past the regulators?
IN THIS summer of corporate love, the unwanted embrace of Pechiney, a French aluminium company, by Alcan, its Canadian rival, could become a thorny romance. Alcan's offer recalls a friendly ménage à trois attempted in 1999 between Alcan, Pechiney and Alusuisse of Switzerland, which was rudely interrupted by offended European antitrust officials. Even so, Alcan went ahead with the purchase of Alusuisse.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “French twist?”
From the July 12th 2003 edition
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