A PYMNTS Company

UK: “Serious concerns” over fuel prices due to Sainsbury’s-Asda merger

By  |  August 13, 2018

Conservative MP Robert Halfron has written to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) about the “serious concerns” he has over the price of petrol and diesel in the wake of the Sainsbury’s-Asda merger.

According to The Times, Halfron teamed up with campaign group Fair Fuel UK to demand assurances that fuel prices will be monitored through an independent watchdog should the £12 billion (US$15.3 billion) supermarket merger go ahead.

“Both I and Fair Fuel UK have serious concerns that this merger will affect market competition and there is a realworry that it will cause thousands of motorists to be hammered at the pumps,” Halfron said. He added, “It’s even more vital that an independent pump price monitoring watchdog is created.”

If combined, Asda and Sainsbury’s will have the largest market share of petrol retailing in the UK at 17.9%.

Full Content: The Times

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.