Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd

1. Title of report: Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd and House of Fraser plc (MMC - Cm 229)

2. Date of report: 2 October 1987 Published: 21 October 1987

3. Orders: N/A

4. Date of original undertakings: Press release: 7 December 1987

5. Companies giving undertakings: Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd

6. Details of undertakings: Divestment undertakings

(i) To secure before 21 October 1988 the sale to persons other than the four co-operative retail societies in Scotland, of either all of the funeral undertaking businesses acquired from House of Fraser ('the funeral undertaking businesses') or of those four businesses in the sub-markets most affected by the merger.

(ii) To ensure that, until the relevant business has been sold:

(a) each funeral undertaking business continues to trade under its own name, at the same number of branches, as a viable business separate from any other business;

(b) no assets of any funeral undertaking business are, and no interest in any such assets is, disposed of, except in the ordinary course of the business;

(c) the goodwill of each funeral undertaking business and the standard of service offered by each are maintained and preserved; and

(d) not to dispose of any share or interest in any body corporate owning or carrying on any funeral undertaking business.

(iii) Not to refuse to supply (or threaten to refuse to supply) coffins on their normal commercial terms to any funeral undertaker in Scotland.

(iv) To give the Director General at least four weeks' notice before doing anything which results in any enterprise carrying on the business of a funeral undertaker in Scotland and enterprises carried on by the Co-operative Wholesale Society ceasing to be distinct.

7. Date of amendments: N/A

8. SIC code: 93.03 (Funeral activities) 20.40 (Manufacture of coffins)

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