The £1.2bn acquisition of Bakkavor by fellow food-to-go manufacturing giant Greencore is expected to be completed on 16 January 2026.
The announcement this morning (17 December) came as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) wrapped up its five-month-long merger inquiry.
As reported last month, Greencore’s proposed divestment of its chilled soups and sauces factory in Bristol had been accepted by the CMA as a remedy to resolve concerns flagged in its Phase 1 investigation.
Dublin-headquartered Greencore has since confirmed that its Bristol site is to be sold to The Compleat Food Group, with the competition watchdog accepting the undertakings in lieu of a Phase 2 investigation.
In addition, regulatory conditions in the United States were satisfied on 2 December relating to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements (HSR) Act. London-based Bakkavor plans to sell its US manufacturing business, which currently employs 1,500 across five factory locations including in California, Texas, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
Greencore’s portfolio is predominantly focussed on ‘food for now’ products such as sandwiches, wraps, salads, and ready meals, while Bakkavor’s ‘food for later’ range includes pizzas, breads, desserts, and chilled dips.
The acquisition of Bakkavor by Greencore is set to create a combined UK food-to-go manufacturing business worth £4bn with a workforce of around 30,500 staff. The transaction remains subject to the satisfaction or waiver (if capable) of the remaining conditions to the scheme, including its sanction by the Court.
While the deal is expected to be completed on 16 January next year, its ‘long-stop date’ of 16 November 2026 (ie. the final contractual deadline by which all conditions precedent must be met) may be extended by agreement between Greencore and Bakkavor.
The firms published the following timetable for the completion of the transaction, noting that times and dates are indicative only and dependent on, among other things, the date upon which the court sanctions the scheme.
The Greencore-Bakkavor deal is one of several mergers and acquisitions in the UK baking industry to have been announced over the past 12 months. As part of its ’Bakery in Review 2025’ series, British Baker took a look back some of the biggest deals of the year and what they meant for the businesses involved.
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