FTC Approves Final Order Preserving Farm Store Competition in the Midwest and the South

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission finalized a consent order settling charges that Tractor Supply Company’s acquisition of the rival chain Orscheln Farm and Home LLC likely would have harmed competition among farm stores in the Midwest and South.

The consent order imposes a number of requirements, including that Tractor Supply divest some Orscheln stores, as well as Orscheln’s corporate offices and Missouri distribution center, to Bomgaars, an Iowa-based farm store chain, and other stores to Buchheit, another chain with farm stores in Missouri and Illinois.

The Commission vote to approve the final order was 4-0.