CMA launches McCormick/Unilever phase 1 inquiry; decision due 11 November

The Competition and Markets Authority has formally launched its phase 1 merger inquiry into the McCormick/Unilever transactionGOV, moving the case from preliminary information-gathering into the statutory investigation phase. The CMA announced the launch by notice to the parties on 16 September 2026GOV and published a commencement notice alongside the case page. The statutory timetable now sets 11 November 2026 as the deadline for the phase 1 decisionGOV, with the standard caveat that the deadline can be extended in certain limited circumstancesGOV.

The update closes the pre-launch stage. The invitation to comment, issued on 21 July 2026 to gather initial views from any interested party on the impact the transaction could have on competition in the United Kingdom, closed on 5 August 2026. The previous statement that the CMA had not yet launched its formal investigation into the transaction no longer appears on the page. The case page confirms the CMA has received the necessary information from the parties to commence pre-notification, and the Phase 1 section now records the launch of the merger inquiry rather than describing the invitation to comment as the first part of the information-gathering process.

At phase 1, the question the CMA must decide engages the Act's duty to refer: whether a relevant merger situation has been created or may be created, and whether that has resulted, or may be expected to result, in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the United Kingdom for goods or services. The phase 1 decision due on 11 November 2026 determines whether that threshold is met and therefore whether the transaction progresses further in the merger-control process, including the possibility of undertakings instead of a deeper investigation where the parties offer them and the CMA is considering whether to accept them.

For advisers and interested parties, the practical point is the live timetable and the contact route. Written representations about any competition issues should go to mccormick.unileverfoods@cma.gov.uk. Darren Gysi is Principal Case Officer and Erin Mackenzie is Case Officer, with individual CMA email addresses for each. The privacy notice states that names and contact details supplied with representations are personal data processed in accordance with data protection law, so that the CMA can re-contact contributors should it need further help or information in carrying out its merger work under Part 3 of the Enterprise Act 2002. Parties tracking this inquiry should diary the 11 November 2026 decision date while noting the limited-circumstances extension caveat. The legal basis for the CMA's merger work is Part 3 of the Enterprise Act 2002.