Sara Lee air-care unit sale may need EU review

Britain's antitrust regulator asked the European Union to investigate whether Procter & Gamble Co.'s proposed acquisition of Sara Lee Corp.'s air-care business will hurt competition in the U.K. and other EU countries.

The deal should be probed on the EU level because it qualifies for investigation by a "significant number" of nations, the Office of Fair Trading said in a statement today.

"The OFT believes it makes sense for the European Commission to undertake a single investigation on behalf of those member states that wish to transfer jurisdiction," the regulator said in the statement.

P&G, based in Cincinnati, agreed in December to buy Sara Lee's Ambi Pur brand for about 320 million euros ($440 million) to boost air-freshener sales in Europe, Australia, Africa and Asian countries. P&G sells the Febreze air freshener in the U.K.

The OFT said it reviewed comments from consumers and competitors before making a decision. The EU has 10 working days to notify the OFT if it will accept jurisdiction in the case.

P&G spokeswoman Jennifer Chelune and Mike Cummins, a spokesman for Downers Grove-based Sara Lee, didn't immediately return calls for comment. No one was immediatly available to comment at Utrecht, Netherlands-based Sara Lee International or at P&G's offices in Switzerland.