Co-op buys up rival

THE Co-operative has been given the green light for its £138m purchase of convenience store wholesaler Nisa.

The merger, which is expected to complete next month, will see the number of outlets Coop supplies jump from 3,800 to 7,000.

Nisa will remain a standalone business with Co- op taking on £105m of its debt.

The Competition and Markets Authority said that it will not refer the deal for a full investigation after concluding it was unlikely to compromise quality and price for customers.

The deal was approved by Nisa’s shopkeeper owners in November.