The Commerce Commission has received a clearance application from Kimberly-Clark Corporation seeking clearance for it or a wholly-owned subsidiary to acquire 100 percent of the shares in Kenvue Inc. as part of a global merger.
In New Zealand, Kimberly-Clark and Kenvue both supply feminine hygiene products such as tampons, sanitary pads (or towels) and panty liners. Kimberly-Clark supplies products under the U by Kotex brand, and Kenvue supplies products under the Stayfree and Carefree brands.
To address competitive overlap between the merging parties, Kimberly-Clark has proposed divesting the entirety of Kenvue’s feminine hygiene offering in New Zealand and Australia. The Commerce Commission will assess whether the proposed divestment is likely to remedy any competition concerns arising from the proposed acquisition.
The Commerce Commission has published a statement of preliminary issues regarding the application. The statement outlined the key competition issues that the Commission considers important at this early stage in deciding whether to grant clearance to the proposed acquisition.
The Commission has invited interested parties to provide comments on the likely competitive effects of the proposed acquisition and the proposed divestment. Any submissions should be received by the close of business on the 17th of March 2026.
The Commission is currently scheduled to make a decision on the application by the 28th of April 2026.
However, this date may be extended with the applicant's agreement if the material before the Commission at that time does not allow it to be satisfied that the proposed acquisition will not have, or would not be likely to have, the effect of substantially lessening competition in a market in New Zealand.
Read more about the global merger here
