{"id":329187,"date":"2026-01-16T16:31:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T20:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/?p=329187"},"modified":"2026-01-16T16:32:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T20:32:01","slug":"cma-forces-aramark-to-sell-entier-for-affecting-competition-in-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"noticias","link":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/news\/cma-forces-aramark-to-sell-entier-for-affecting-competition-in-the-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"CMA forces Aramark to sell Entier for affecting competition in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Aramark<\/strong> faces a regulatory setback following an order from the UK <strong>Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)<\/strong> requiring it to <strong>unwind its acquisition of Entier Limited.<\/strong> The move responds to concerns about the substantial reduction of competition in offshore catering services, essential to operations on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). <\/p>\n\n<p>According to the CMA&#8217;s analysis, this union drastically reduced the options available to offshore operators, raising the risk of higher prices and lower quality of services offered.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A firm decision, with no room for compromise<\/h2>\n\n<p>Although Aramark submitted a preliminary proposal in October 2025 to mitigate the CMA&#8217;s concerns, it ultimately decided to withdraw it. The panel evaluated possible solutions, including partial divestitures, but concluded that <strong>the only effective way to restore competition is a full sale of Entier<\/strong> to an independent buyer approved by the CMA. <\/p>\n\n<p>Richard Feasey, chairman of the panel, emphasized the importance of <strong>maintaining strong competition<\/strong> to ensure that offshore <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/news\/oeuk-establishes-new-weight-limit-for-offshore-workers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">offshore workers<\/a><\/strong> quality services to offshore workers.<\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>People working in offshore oil and gas fields face incredibly difficult working conditions at sea, so keeping them fed and cared for is critical; that&#8217;s why effective competition for these catering services is so important.<\/p>\n<cite>Richard Feasey, chairman of the independent panel investigating the merger.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The impact of the merger on the UKCS<\/h2>\n\n<p>The <strong>UKCS (United Kingdom Continental Shelf)<\/strong> is a key economic zone for the United Kingdom, rich in energy resources, where multiple platforms and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/articulo\/smart-automated-offshore-oil-platforms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">offshore infrastructure assets operate<\/a><\/strong>. Demand for specialized catering services is constant and competition ensures high standards of service. <\/p>\n\n<p>With the acquisition of Entier in January 2025, Aramark significantly increased its market share, <strong>leaving clients with limited options for future bids<\/strong>. Many of them already considered Aramark and Entier as indispensable participants in their procurement processes. <\/p>\n\n<p>The CMA&#8217;s analysis determined that <strong>no other competitor<\/strong> has the capacity to <strong>match the combined offer of both companies<\/strong> in the next 2 years, consolidating a dominant position that is difficult to challenge.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s next for Aramark?<\/h2>\n\n<p>The CMA has <strong>given<\/strong> Aramark <strong>12 weeks<\/strong> to formally propose commitments that will lead to the sale of Entier and, if it fails to do so, a final binding order will be issued. The <strong>requirement does not include Entier Australia Pty Ltd<\/strong>, as its operations do not impact the UK market. <\/p>\n\n<p>This decision sets a precedent in the oversight of mergers in the energy and critical services sector in the United Kingdom. It also highlights the regulator&#8217;s active role in preventing mergers that could alter the competitive balance in sensitive sectors such as offshore. <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/cma-requires-aramark-to-sell-entier-after-finding-competition-concerns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">United Kingdom Government<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Photo: Shutterstock<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aramark&#8217;s purchase of Entier raises concerns about its impact on the UKCS offshore catering sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10019,"featured_media":329148,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categoria_noticias":[13026,13036],"etiqueta_noticias":[],"class_list":["post-329187","noticias","type-noticias","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categoria_noticias-energy","categoria_noticias-oil-and-gas"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/noticias\/329187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/noticias"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/noticias"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10019"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=329187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/noticias\/329187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/329148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"categoria_noticias","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categoria_noticias?post=329187"},{"taxonomy":"etiqueta_noticias","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspenet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/etiqueta_noticias?post=329187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}