The Commission cleared the proposed merger unconditionally finding the parties would not gain market power to harm competition. Retained by Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and by BonelliErede Counsel for Essilor and Luxottica, the merging parties, retained Cornerstone Research and Ravi Dhar of Yale University to investigate the validity of specific claims made by the European Commission in its Phase II investigation of the proposed merger. Professor Dhar designed and administered double-blind online end-consumer surveys in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, each in the respondents’ native language. Essilor is the world’s largest supplier of ophthalmic lenses, and Luxottica is the world’s largest supplier of eyewear with well-known brands such as Ray-Ban and Oakley. The parties sell

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