Ulster Fry: Watchdog Worried About Competition over Bakery Merger

ABF's Hovis takeover clears Britain review, flagged in Northern Ireland

Proposed bread mergers ‘would leave Northern Ireland with just two commercial bakeries’

Regulators probing deal for Sunblest/Kingmills owners AB Foods to acquire Ormo owners Hovis

Ulster Fry: Watchdog worried about competition over bakery merger

The investigation finds two bakeries would have a majority of the market control over bread products.

ABF's Hovis takeover clears UK review, flagged in North

The UK competition regulator has today flagged competition risks in Northern Ireland over Associated British Foods' acquisition of rival Hovis, while provisionally clearing it in Britain after finding ABF's Allied Bakeries would otherwise close.

ABF’s Hovis deal clears Great Britain hurdle but faces Northern Ireland concerns

Associated British Foods’ planned acquisition of Hovis has cleared a major hurdle after the Competition and Markets Authority provisionally found the deal would not harm competition in Great Britain, though it warned the transaction could raise concerns in Northern Ireland. The CMA said its interim findings showed the deal was unlikely to create competition issues in Great Britain because, if the transaction does not proceed, Allied Bakeries is …

Bad day for markets, NS&I reputation bruised, Allied Bakeries faced with CMA setback and 3i slumps on Action warning