Frozen pastry giant Vandemoortele must sell off its Worcester factory to preserve competition in the UK market, the CMA has ruled.
The ruling is the sole condition imposed by the watchdog on Vandemoortele in its acquisition of fellow European pastry player Délifrance, completed on 31 December 2025.
Both companies supply frozen viennoiserie such as croissants and pains au chocolat to supermarket and foodservice customers in the UK. The products are normally baked on-site.
The CMA’s inquiry group assessed both companies’ internal documents, bidding data, and heard from third parties. It found that, without a remedy, the merger would have led to Vandemoortele becoming the largest supplier of frozen viennoiserie to the UK market “by a considerable margin”, dealing a substantial blow to competition.
Conceding that the merger would affect competition, Vandemoortele itself suggested it carve out its Worcester laminated dough plant and UK sales office in Staines, sold as a going concern with all necessary contracts, customer relationships and staff.
“Once Vandemoortele conceded that their merger raised competition concerns, we could streamline the investigation, discuss remedies at an early stage and ultimately make a final decision well ahead of the statutory deadline,” said chair of the inquiry group Martin Coleman.
“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. Transferring Vandemoortele’s UK sales operations to an independent operator will protect competition and help keep prices in check for consumers.”
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