The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has cleared Vandemoortele’s acquisition of fellow European frozen pastry supplier Délifrance.
In a final report of its phase 2 investigation into the deal published on 20 August, the CMA accepted Belgian family-owned food group Vandemoortele’s proposed remedies to preserve competition in the UK frozen viennoiserie market. This included selling off its laminated dough factory in Worcester as well as its current UK sales operations in Staines-upon-Thames.
Both Vandemoortele and Délifrance supply frozen viennoiserie, such as croissants and pains au chocolat, to supermarket and foodservice customers in the UK, noted the CMA, adding that the products are typically baked in-store or on-site before being sold or served to consumers.
Vandemoortele had already conceded that the merger – first announced on 28 March 2025 – would have led to a substantial lessening of competition in the UK, with its engagement with the CMA allowing the inquiry group to conclude its investigation almost seven weeks ahead of the statutory deadline.
“Competition helps keep prices low and this is particularly important in wholesale markets like frozen pastry products which are sold to everyday shoppers in cafés and supermarket bakeries,” commented Martin Coleman, chair of the independent inquiry group. “Transferring Vandemoortele’s UK sales operations to an independent operator will protect competition and help keep prices in check for consumers.”
In a company statement, Vandemoortele said: “The publication of the CMA’s final report is an important milestone, but it is not the final destination yet. The divestment process remains ongoing and discussions with several interested parties continue to progress well.”
As part of its merger probe, the CMA served an initial enforcement order (IEO) on 24 December 2025 which prevented the merging manufacturers from integrating their operations or sharing sensitive information. This was met with a slew of requests for derogations – ie. formal exceptions to the prohibitions – from Vandemoortele regarding matters such as corporate licences for software systems and management approvals. These received consents from the CMA, while other restrictions from the IEO remain.
“Once the required commitments are in place and the remaining regulatory steps have been completed, the current restrictions imposed by the IEO between Vandemoortele and Délifrance can be lifted,” said a Vandemoortele spokesperson.
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