Britain’s competition watchdog has launched the second stage of its investigation into the proposed £12bn merger between supermarkets Sainsbury’s and Asda.
The deal will now be subject to a so-called Phase Two in-depth probe to assess how it could affect competition for UK shoppers, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) confirmed.
The CMA’s investigation will consider whether the tie-up could lead to less choice, higher prices or worse quality services.
