London, November 7, 2025 — The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has proposed to accept remedies offered by Greencore Group and Bakkavor Group to address Phase I concerns arising from the merger, which would create one of the country’s largest convenience food suppliers.
Following a Phase I investigation, the CMA found that the merger could substantially lessen competition in the supply of own-label chilled sauces—including pasta and stir-fry sauces—sold to major UK supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, and Asda. The regulator warned that the deal could lead to higher prices or reduced product quality for shoppers.
To address these concerns, the companies have offered to divest Greencore’s only chilled sauce and soups manufacturing facility in Bristol. The CMA said the proposed divestment could effectively remedy competition issues and will launch a consultation on the final remedies package and potential buyer.
Joel Bamford, the CMA’s Executive Director of Mergers, said, “The cost of our weekly shop matters to us all, so we must take decisions that ensure there is effective competition helping to keep product prices as low as possible on supermarket shelves. Our assessment found Greencore’s deal to buy Bakkavor could raise prices at the till.”
He added that after “close engagement with Greencore and Bakkavor,” the CMA had accepted the remedies in principle and would now work toward a final resolution.
The authority noted that other product categories examined during its review—such as Italian ready meals and salads—did not raise significant competition concerns. Further details on the divestment proposal will be published on the CMA’s Greencore/Bakkavor case page in due course.
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-proposes-to-accept-remedies-in-supermarket-supplier-deal
