The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has given Carlsberg the green light to proceed with its £3.3bn (approx. $4.2bn) acquisition of Britvic.

The competition watchdog announced its intention to launch an investigation into the deal – which was agreed upon by the beverage giants in July 2024 – this September.

On 17 December, the CMA announced its decision to clear the anticipated acquisition, which is now expected to complete in early 2025.

This followed a process of gathering information on whether the deal could be expected to result in a ‘substantial lessening of competition’ in the UK market, with interested parties invited to submit their views on the merger. This initial process was carried out through September and into October.

At the time of the CMA’s invitations for comment, a spokesperson for Carlsberg told FoodBev that this process was a “standard step” and “always fully expected”.

Carlsberg aims to gain a stronger foothold in the UK market, where it is currently the fourth-largest brewer, through the deal with Britvic. The acquisition will expand Carlsberg's bottling operations across Europe.

The £3.3 billion takeover agreement followed a previous takeover bid of £3 billion (approx. $3.9 billion) from Carlsberg in June, which Britvic rejected.

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