LDC / Green Label merger inquiry
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating the completed acquisition by Société LDC SA of Green Label Holdings Limited.
Statutory timetable
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 20 May 2026 | Deadline for phase 1 decision (*) |
| 20 March 2026 | Launch of merger inquiry |
| 23 February 2026 to 9 March 2026 | Invitation to comment |
| 26 January 2026 | Initial enforcement order |
(*) Whilst the CMA will seek to determine its investigation as quickly as possible, the statutory deadline can be extended in certain limited circumstances.
Phase 1
Launch of merger inquiry
20 March 2026: the CMA announced the launch of its merger inquiry by notice to the parties.
- (20.3.26)
Invitation to comment: now closed
23 February 2026: The CMA is issuing this ‘invitation to comment’ to allow interested parties to submit to the CMA any initial views on the impact that the transaction could have on competition in the UK. The CMA has not yet launched its formal investigation into this transaction. This invitation to comment is the first part of the CMA’s information-gathering process.
Pre-notification
The CMA has received the necessary information from the parties to commence pre-notification.
Initial enforcement order
26 January 2026: The CMA has served an initial enforcement order under section 72(2) of the Enterprise Act 2002 on Société LDC SA and LDC International SAS, Green Label Holdings Limited (which trades as ‘Gressingham Foods’), Geoffrey Maurice Buchanan and William Edwin Buchanan (both of whom hold interests in the Green Label).
- (27.1.26)
Amendments and consents granted
- (4.3.26)
Contact
Please send written representations about any competition issues to: ldc.gressinghamfoods@cma.gov.uk
Privacy notice
Your name and contact details are your personal data. In collecting, receiving, storing, accessing and using your personal data, the CMA, as controller, is processing your personal data. The CMA processes personal data in accordance with data protection law. The CMA is processing your personal data so that it can contact you again, should it need further help or information from you, in order to carry out its merger work under Part 3 of the Enterprise Act 2002. For more information about how the CMA processes personal data and your rights relating to that data, please see our Privacy Notice.
Updates to this page
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Commencement notice published.
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Derogation published.
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Pre-notification and invitation to comment published
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First published.