Who bought the 87 sites sold after the Morrisons takeover?

The fuel overlap came from an existing CD&R holding

CD&R acquired Morrisons on 27 October 2021. The CMA examined overlapping fuel activities because CD&R already had an interest in Motor Fuel Group, while Morrisons sold fuel from its own forecourts. It considered the supply of road fuel locally and looked separately at groceries and other markets. Source 2 Source 1

The authority counted 121 local areas

Its phase 1 decision identified a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition in road fuel in 121 local areas. A forecourt can be a competitor to more than one site and enter more than one local analysis. The 121 number measures the authority’s areas of concern rather than assets in the final sale package. Source 2

The sale commitments avoided a second-phase referral

The CMA accepted undertakings in lieu of a reference on 9 June 2022. It subsequently approved nine purchasers and published a closure update on 1 June 2023 after the sales had completed. That sequence separates the competition decision from identifying buyers and transferring the sites. Source 1

Two buyers took two thirds of the sites

SGN’s 39 sites and Shell’s 19 account for 58 of the 87, exactly two thirds. The seven other buyers took 29 sites, including three one-site buyers. The buyer table describes where the divested assets went and gives no measure of each buyer’s overall UK fuel market share. Source 1

Sources

• CMA CD&R and Morrisons case and sale completion summary
• CMA phase 1 decision and local competition analysis