French bakery giant Cérélia has refused to sell Jus-Rol despite the Court of Appeal dismissing its legal challenge over the CMA’s decision to block the takeover as it would lessen competition.
The UK division of Cérélia – which acquired Jus-Rol in 2022 to join its portfolio that also contains brands Abra-ca-Debora, BakeAway and OaYeah! – said it was “disappointed” by the CMA’s decision last week, reported The Times.
Jan Boers, the managing director at BakeAway, said: “We’re very disappointed with the dismissal by the Court of Appeal and still believe that the pastry and dough category is in desperate need of innovation and investment. In line with the UK government’s ambition to drive growth, we purchased the Jus-Rol brand and brought production back to the UK, to the new factory we built in Corby.
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“We sought to create a more innovative market offer for UK consumers and a more price-competitive category by bringing together our expertise in pastry and dough and the strength of the Jus-Rol brand. Pending any decision from the Supreme Court, BakeAway will not comment further on ongoing legal proceedings.”
The CMA had warned in 2022 that the deal will “substantially lessen competition” and put UK grocers and shoppers at “risk of higher prices and lower quality products”.
However, Cérélia has challenged the regulator’s ruling as “flawed” and said it had been based on “uncorroborated and unreliable concerns” from supermarkets.
The bakery giant has twice been unsuccessful with its legal challenge on the ruling, with last week’s Court of Appeal decision following a loss in the Competition Appeal Tribunal in September last year.
