Co-operative Group / Southern Co-operative merger inquiry

15 September 2026: The CMA has decided, on the evidence currently available to it, that it is or may be the case that this merger has resulted or may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within a market or markets in the United Kingdom. This merger will be referred for an in-depth, phase 2 investigation unless the parties offer an acceptable undertaking to address these competition concerns. The full text of the decision will be published shortly.

30 July 2026: The CMA announced the launch of its merger inquiry by notice to the parties.

23 July 2026: The CMA has served an initial enforcement order (IEO) under section 72(2) of the Enterprise Act 2002 on Co-operative Group Limited and Siena Co-operative Limited.

4 June 2026: The CMA issued this ‘invitation to comment’ to allow interested parties to submit to the CMA any initial views on the impact that the transaction could have on competition in the UK. The CMA has not yet launched its formal investigation into this transaction. The invitation to comment is the first part of the CMA’s information-gathering process.

To assist it with this assessment, the CMA invites comments on the transaction from any interested party.

4 June 2026: The CMA has received the necessary information from the parties to commence pre-notification.

Please send written representations about any competition issues to: