Australia’s consumer watchdog is looking into Wesfarmers Limited’s
(ASX:WES) owned Coles proposed purchase of Supabarn supermarkets.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has noted Supabarn’s position as a significant independent supermarket chain.
As a result the ACCC says it will focus on whether Supabarn’s removal as a competitor would substantially lessen competition between supermarket chains.
The competition regulator will start its review this week and accept public submissions until mid-July.
Wesfarmers reported a net profit of $1.37 billion in the first half of the 2015 financial year.
