CMA clears Sainsbury’s acquisition of Argos

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today (22 July) cleared Sainsbury’s proposed acquisition of Home Retail Group, the owner of the Argos chain. In a short notice posted on its website today (22 July), the CMA added: “The full text of the decision will be available shortly.”

The CMA had announced the launch of its merger inquiry on 27 May.

As previously reported by Post&Parcel, one of main attractions of the HRG deal for Sainsbury’s was the Argos home delivery network.

Whilst the HRG deal has been going through the approval process, Sainsbury’s has been ramping up its own delivery infrastructure. The grocer announced in April that it would be doubling the number of stores offering Click & Collect Groceries Sites in its store car parks over the next 12 months.

And just yesterday – on the eve of the CMA green light – Sainsbury’s announced that it will be opening its new online fulfilment centre in Bromley-by-Bow this autumn which – amongst other things – will support the roll-out of its new same-day delivery service.

As part of yesterday’s announcement, Sainsbury’s also said that it is now trialling same-day deliveries at three stores in Streatham Common, Richmond and Brookwood in Surrey – and the plan is texpand the pilot to 30 stores by Christmas.