Sports Direct acquisition of 31 JJB shops cleared by Competition Commission

The Competition Commission ruled that it does not expect the acquisitions to lead to a substantial lessening of competition nor any adverse effects for customers. This ruling confirms its provisional findings, published last month.

Chairman of the inquiry group and Competition Commission deputy chairman, Diana Guy said: “We do not believe there will be higher prices or a reduction in quality and choice for consumers as a result of these store acquisitions.

“Sports Direct and JJB are undoubtedly each other’s closest competitors nationally and this has not changed as a result of the transfer of a relatively small number of stores.

“What we have found is that the prices and range on offer in any individual Sports Direct store are not significantly affected by whether there is a nearby JJB store or not but, rather, depend on the degree of overall competition between the two retailers at the national level.”