French pastry-mix maker Cérélia will have to divest the Jus-Rol business, which it acquired from General Mills, as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said that the merger hinders the competition among the UK’s retailers and, potentially, the end-consumers who might experience increased prices.

The CMA’s investigation concluded that Cérélia and Jus-Rol, both suppliers of ready-to-bake products, make up nearly two-thirds of all such products sold to grocery retailers in the UK. “We found that the merger will bring together the two largest suppliers in the wholesale supply of dough-to-bake (DTB) products in the UK. The Merger leads to a combined share of [60-70%] and an increment of [30-40%],” the CMA’s report says.

Photo: Jus-Rol social media