The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened an “invitation to comment” period concerning its investigation of the “completed acquisition” of the Bernard Matthews Ltd. business by Ranjit Boparan and Baljinder Boparan.
The invitation lasts until December 2, 2016, with the CMA then having until January 19, 2017, to announce whether it intends to refer the merger for a Phase 2 investigation.
The official “invitation to comment” notice is as follows: “The CMA is considering whether it is or may be the case that this transaction has resulted in the creation of a relevant merger situation under the merger provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002 and, if so, whether the creation of that situation has resulted, or may be expected to result, in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the United Kingdom for goods or services.”