LONDON: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has accepted undertakings by Travis Perkins to sell Plumbing Trade Supplies or City Plumbing Supplies stores in 20 local areas across the UK identified by the OFT as competition concerns from the proposed merger with the BSS Group.

Travis Perkins offered to make divestments in order to avoid a reference to the Competition Commission. The OFT accepted Travis's proposals after public consultation.

Amelia Fletcher, senior director of mergers for the OFT, said on Friday: "After a careful investigation, we concluded that this transaction raised competition concerns in 20 local areas. The remedies that we have accepted today, once fully implemented, should retain competition at the level that existed pre-merger, thereby protecting consumers in those local areas."

The OFT has a duty to make a reference to the Competition Commission if it believes a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the United Kingdom for goods or services may arise as a result of a merger.