The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced that it is clearing the proposed merger between Tesco and wholesale group Booker.
A statement by the CMA said that, following an in-depth examination of evidence from a large number of wholesalers, suppliers and retail chains, it has concluded that the deal does not raise competition concerns.
‘Tesco, as a retailer, and Booker, as a wholesaler, do not compete head to head in most of their activities,’ the statement read, ‘however, since Booker supplies shops – such as Premier, Londis and Budgens – that do compete with Tesco, the group considered the impact of this carefully.’
