Vandemoortele / Délifrance merger inquiry
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating the anticipated acquisition by Vandemoortele Group of Délifrance S.A.
Statutory timetable
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 24 December 2025 | Initial enforcement order |
| 22 December 2025 | CMA to consider undertakings offered |
| 8 December 2025 | Decision announced |
| 10 October 2025 | Launch of merger inquiry |
| 3 October 2025 to 17 October 2025 | Invitation to comment |
Phase 1
CMA to consider undertakings offered
22 December 2025: The CMA considers that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the undertakings offered by Vandemoortele Group and Délifrance S.A. or a modified version of them, might be accepted by the CMA under the Enterprise Act 2002.
- (31.12.25)
- Press release: CMA proposes to accept remedies in pastry deal (22.12.25)
Reference unless undertakings accepted
8 December 2025: The CMA has decided, on the evidence currently available to it, that it is or may be the case that this merger may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within a market or markets in the United Kingdom. This merger will be referred for an in-depth, phase 2 investigation unless the parties offer an acceptable undertaking to address these competition concerns.
- (22.12.25)
- (8.12.25)
Launch of merger inquiry
10 October 2025: The CMA announced the launch of its merger inquiry by notice to the parties.
- (10.10.25)
Invitation to comment: closed
The CMA issued 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 had not yet launched its formal investigation into this transaction. This invitation to comment was the first part of the CMA’s information-gathering process.
To assist it with this assessment, the CMA invited comments on the transaction from any interested party.
Initial enforcement order
24 December 2025: The CMA has served an initial enforcement order under section 72(2) of the Enterprise Act 2002 on Safinco NV, Vandemoortele NV, Vamix NV, and Délifrance S.A.
- (31.12.25)
Contact
Please send written representations about any competition or public interest issues to:
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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Initial enforcement order published, and full text decision that undertakings might be accepted published.
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CMA to consider undertakings offered and full text decision published
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Phase 1 decision announced.
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Commencement notice published.
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First published.