Competition watchdog to investigate Admiral Taverns' acquisition of Hawthorn
29 September 2021 by Katherine Price
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced it is investigating Admiral Taverns' acquisition of Hawthorn earlier this year.
The CMA is considering whether the transaction has resulted in a substantial lessening of competition in the UK for goods or services and is inviting interested parties to comment ahead of a deadline of 12 October.
Admiral completed the acquisition of its rival pubco from property investor NewRiver in a £222.3m deal last month. The sale, first announced in July, saw Hawthorn's 674 pubs join Admiral's 969-strong estate, taking its portfolio to more than 1,600 and creating one of Britain's biggest pub firms.
