Follow-Up: PlayPower Abandons Acquisition of Rival Burke After FTC Lawsuit, Agency Says
Daniel Guarnera, Director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition, issued a statement on October 27 after Platinum Equity and its portfolio company PlayPower abandoned the proposed acquisition of rival playground manufacturer BCI Burke, one week after the FTC and a dozen states sued to block the merger. (GSM, based on an FTC statement)
"PlayPower's decision to abandon its proposed acquisition of Burke in the face of the FTC's enforcement action is a win for American consumers and will help drive down the prices that schools, churches, daycares and parks departments pay for playgrounds," Guarnera said, noting that state and municipal governments spend hundreds of millions of dollars on playground equipment every year. According to the FTC, the top five manufacturers control 85% to 90% of the market for commercial outdoor playground equipment; the merger would have cut the number of major competitors from five to four and given PlayPower more than 30% of the market.
PlayPower and Burke announced on October 26 that they had mutually terminated the merger agreement and will continue to operate independently. GSM reported on October 19 that the California Attorney General and the FTC had sued to block the combination of the two major outdoor playground equipment makers, alleging it would raise prices and reduce innovation and quality.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：公园里的商用户外游乐设施（资料图）。照片：CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: Commercial outdoor playground equipment in a park (file photo). CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2026-10-19California AG Bonta and the FTC Sue to Block Merger of Playground Equipment Makers PlayPower and Burke
- 2026-10-27Follow-Up: PlayPower Abandons Acquisition of Rival Burke After FTC Lawsuit, Agency SaysThis story
