London, January 22, 2026 — The UK CMA has provisionally concluded that Constellation Developments Limited’s completed acquisition of ABVR Holdings Limited, parent of Aston Barclay, has not resulted — and is not expected to result — in a substantial lessening of competition in business-to-business used vehicle auction services in Great Britain.
In an interim report, the CMA said the deal has created a relevant merger situation and falls within its jurisdiction, but the evidence assessed to date does not indicate the transaction would worsen outcomes in the relevant national market.
Parties and Market Focus
Constellation is part of a group active in used vehicle remarketing and retail, and controls British Car Auctions Limited (BCA), as well as webuyanycar and car retail businesses. Aston Barclay supplies B2B used vehicle auction services in the UK.
The CMA’s competitive assessment focused on vendors requiring an auction provider capable of handling high volumes with broad geographic coverage across Great Britain. It said those large national vendors have fewer alternatives, and the parties competed closely for that business. By contrast, the CMA provisionally found no concerns at the local or regional level, citing the presence of many auction providers with local or regional coverage.
Exit Counterfactual Central to Outcome
A key factor was what would likely have happened absent the transaction. The CMA’s provisional view is that Aston Barclay, which it described as loss-making and facing financial challenges, would likely have exited the market without the merger or a sale to another purchaser.
The authority also assessed whether another buyer could have acquired Aston Barclay or its assets in a way that preserved stronger conditions of competition. While the CMA identified multiple potential buyers for certain sites, it provisionally concluded only one scenario — a single purchaser acquiring two specific sites — could have materially altered the counterfactual, and it was not more likely than the alternative scenarios taken together.
Next Steps
The CMA invited interested parties to submit representations on the provisional findings by 5 pm on Thursday, February 12, 2026, via email to constellation.astonbarclay@cma.gov.uk. The interim report is not the authority’s final decision.
Source: https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/constellation-developments-limited-slash-abvr-holdings-limited
