Brent Walker Group plc
1. Title of report: Grand Metropolitan plc and William Hill Organisation Ltd (MMC - Cm 776)
2. Date of report: 24 July 1989 Published: 23 August 1989
3. Orders: N/A
4. Date of original undertakings: Press release: 7 December 1989
5. Companies giving undertakings: The Brent Walker Group plc
6. Details of undertakings: Divestment undertakings
(i) Where:
(a) a betting office owned by Brent Walker is situated less than a quarter of a mile from another Brent Walker betting office or from a betting office owned by The William Hill Group Ltd ('WHG'), and immediately prior to the merger one of these two betting offices was operated by William Hill Organisation Ltd ('William Hill') and the other by Grand Metropolitan; and
(b) at least one of any two such betting offices is situated more than a quarter of a mile away from the nearest competing betting office.
then, within six months, Brent Walker will dispose of its interest in the betting office concerned to a person intending to continue to carry on the business of a betting office from those premises.
(ii) Such a disposal may not be to any person who operates a betting office situated less than a quarter of a mile from the office being disposed of, unless there is a further betting office operated by someone other than the acquirer less than a quarter of a mile from the acquirer's office.
(iii) Where, two such betting offices are disposed of, the two disposals may not be to the same person.
(iv) Where at any time after the merger:
(1) Brent Walker disposes or has disposed of a betting office pursuant to undertaking (i) above; or
(2) Grand Metropolitan disposes or has disposed of a betting office to a person other than Brent Walker or WHG; or
(3) WHG disposes or has disposed of a betting office, which immediately prior to the merger was operated by William Hill or Grand Metropolitan;
(a) Brent Walker will not, acquire or re-acquire any interest in any such betting offices if to do so would cause the conditions described in paragraph (i) above to occur or re-occur.
(c) Brent Walker will not dispose of any or any further betting office to the purchaser if to do so would place the purchaser in a situation analogous to that described in paragraph (i) above.
7. Date of amendments: N/A
8. SIC code: 92.71 (Betting offices)
Back to: Mergers undertakings
- OFT telephone enquiries:08457 22 44 99
- Consumer Direct telephone enquiries:08454 04 05 06