£1.3bn pub merger gets green light

The £1.3bn merger of pubcos EI Group (EIG) and Stonegate has taken a step forward after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it would not be taking its enquiry any further.

Slug and Lettuce owner Stonegate Pub Company agreed to acquire Solihull-based pub operator Ei Group in a £1.3bn deal in July last year.

The combined business would operate nearly 5,000 pubs and the deal would make Stonegate the UK’s largest owner of pubs.

It would be a transformational deal for Stonegate which launched in 2010 with the acquisition of 333 pubs from Mitchells & Butler. Its brands also include Walkabout and Yates.

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