Just Eat’s £6.2bn merger with Dutch group Takeaway.com is cleared by watchdog
Just Eat’s £6.2billion tie-up with Takeaway.com has been cleared by the competition watchdog.
The online food delivery firm’s merger with the Dutch group got the go-ahead from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), who was ‘satisfied there are no competition concerns’ after its probe of the deal.
The watchdog had been worried the deal could have impacted competition in the market, particularly if Amsterdam-based Takeaway would have otherwise re-entered the UK food delivery sector, giving people more choice against Just Eat and similar rivals such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo.
Just Eat’s merger with the Dutch group got the go-ahead from the Competition and Markets Authority, who was ‘satisfied there are no competition concerns’ after its probe of the deal
But its investigation found there was ‘not a material likelihood’ that Takeaway would have re-entered the UK in the future, had the merger not gone ahead.
Colin Raftery, senior director of mergers at the CMA, said: ‘After interrogating how this deal is likely to affect the UK market, we are satisfied that there are no competition concerns.’
He added: ‘It was important we investigated this properly, but after gathering additional evidence which indicates this deal will not reduce competition, it is also the right decision to now clear the merger.’
Just Eat Takeaway.com was formed after the two firms went through a lengthy bidding war, which finally concluded in January when the Dutch business’s bid was accepted by Just Eat shareholders.
But the CMA then launched its investigation and Just Eat and Takeaway have continued to run as two independent businesses under separate management while the inquiry took place.