WORLDTECHStartups & Business
FTC Moves to Block PlayPower's Purchase of Burke Over Price Concerns
PlayPower, owned by private equity firm Platinum Equity, proposes to buy Burke, one of PlayPower’s closest competitors in the manufacture of commercial outdoor playground equipment. The proposed transaction would add the Burke brand to PlayPower’s existing commercial outdoor playground portfolio, which contains Miracle Recreation Equipment Company, Little Tikes Commercial and Playworld Systems, Inc.—brands PlayPower previously acquired. The complaint is joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. And its proposed acquisition (one company buying another) of Burke will allow it to charge even higher prices, the complaint alleges.
