BRUSSELS, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Adecco, the world's biggest staffing group, won European Union regulatory approval on Friday to buy smaller British rival Spring Group for 108 million pounds ($175.4 million).
Adecco had announced the acquisition in early August as part of a strategy to boost its professional staffing business, which offers usually offers higher margins. Spring Group posted 517 million euros ($771 million) in 2008 sales.
"The transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area or any substantial part of it," the European Commission said in a statement.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee)