Britain Allows Major Bread Company Takeover Without Conditions

The UK's competition watchdog approved Associated British Foods' purchase of Hovis, a major bread maker, for £150 million on 16 June 2026. Notably, regulators imposed no restrictions despite the combined company controlling significant market share. This reverses recent precedent—the same authority blocked a Sainsbury's-Asda grocery merger for similar reasons, signaling a potential shift in how strictly officials will police big grocery deals.