Competition Appeal Court rejects Walmart and Massmart merger

The Competition Appeal Court has dismissed an application by the government to review the decision to approve the merger between Walmart and local retailer Massmart. According to Judge Dennis Davis, there was not enough evidence to conclude that public concerns regarding the impact on employment and small and medium-sized businesses were sufficient to refuse the merger. “The evidence indicated that consumers will benefit from lower prices and that these lower prices may, in turn, generate greater job creation than the job losses that may result from the merger,” he said.