Business
Merger-bound Stagecoach, National Express on British watchdog radar
Published by maria gbaf
Posted on January 26, 2022
1 min readLast updated: January 28, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by maria gbaf
Posted on January 26, 2022
1 min readLast updated: January 28, 2026
The UK competition regulator is reviewing the Stagecoach and National Express merger, delaying asset sales and maintaining current operations.
(Reuters) – Britain’s competition regulator on Wednesday issued an order preventing public transport group StageCoach and rival National Express from disposing of key UK assets as the watchdog reviews their merger.
The Competition and Markets Authority indicated that it seeks to “maintain the businesses in their current shape” as it starts its probe into the merger, Stagecoach said, adding that the order would delay a planned sale of parts of its inter-city coach businesses to ComfortDelGro.
StageCoach said that the companies believe the disposal to ComfortDelGro should allay any competition concerns that might arise from their overlapping coach operations.
National Express announced in December it would buy StageCoach in an all-share deal valuing the Perth-based firm at about 445 million pounds ($600.79 million).
Stagecoach said the merger is still expected to close around the end of 2022.
($1 = 0.7407 pounds)
(Reporting by Muhammed Husain in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Shailesh Kuber)
The main topic is the UK competition regulator's review of the Stagecoach and National Express merger.
The merger is under scrutiny to address potential competition concerns in the UK transport sector.
The review delays asset sales and aims to maintain business operations during the investigation.
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