Competition watchdog gives Heineken thumbs up for pubs purchase

The Competition and Markets Authority (ICMA) has given the go ahead for Heineken’s purchase of 1,900 pubs from Punch Taverns. At the start of the summer the CMA told the international brewer it had to sell pubs in 33 areas of face a full-blown competition investigation. The CMA was concerned there was not sufficient competition in the areas and that it could lead to price increases or deterioration in the quality of service on offer. ...