The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is to investigate the anticipated Carlsberg’s acquisition of soft drink manufacturer Britvic.

The regulatory body has said it is considering whether the upcoming merger by the Danish brewer to form a Carlsberg-Britvic company, would substantially lessen competition within the UK.

The CMA is issuing a preliminary “invitation to comment” allowing interested parties to submit any views that impact its decision on the merger.

The UK competition watchdog added that as part of Phase 1 of its formal investigation, it will also contact companies and organisations that are active in the markets affected by the merger.

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

In this scenario, this would refer both to the soft drinks industry of Britvic and the alcohol sector for Carlsberg, with the CMA’s deadline for the decision yet to be set.

The investigation comes as Britvic accepted a deal from Carlsberg worth £3.3bn in July, after previously rejecting two other bids.

Speaking at the time about the agreement, PepsiCo Europe CEO Silviu Popovici said: “We are looking forward to building on our long-standing and successful partnerships with both Carlsberg and Britvic.

“We believe that the combination of Carlsberg and Britvic will create even stronger sales and distribution capabilities for our winning brands in important markets. We look forward to continuing to expand the partnership into further important markets in the future.”