PlayPower drops a playground merger the FTC sued to block

Notes

1. 1.Federal Trade Commission, "FTC Bureau of Competition Statement on Termination of PlayPower's Acquisition of Rival Playground Manufacturer Burke," October 27, 2026. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/10/ftc-bureau-competition-statement-termination-playpowers-acquisition-rival-playground-manufacturer Daniel Guarnera "issued the following statement in response to the announcement that Platinum Equity and its portfolio company, PlayPower, abandoned the proposed acquisition of BCI Burke following a lawsuit filed last week by the FTC and a dozen states to block the proposed merger." He said: "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." He said state and municipal governments "spend hundreds of millions of dollars on playground equipment every year," and that "tens of millions of children and their families" will benefit. He said the top five manufacturers, including PlayPower and Burke, "control 85%–90% of the market for commercial outdoor playground equipment," that the deal would have cut the number of major competitors from five to four, and that it would have given PlayPower's owners "control over more than 30% of the relevant market." This desk did not open the complaint.