Thomas Cook wants faster merger review

15th Feb 2011 16:12

Thomas Cook and the Co-operative Group have called on the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to 'fast-track' the anti-trust approval process over the proposed merger of their travel agent outlets.Thomas Cook said that the two companies would like the OFT to send the case directly to the Competition Commission (CC) rather than waiting another three weeks to pass the matter over. It said that once the matter is referred to the CC, it is likely to take another six months to reach a decision."We continue to believe that there is compelling rationale for clearance, particularly when you consider previous decisions in our sector," Thomas Cook chief executive many Fontenla-Novoa said. "We feel that proceeding straight to the Competition Commission should provide us with the right answer most quickly."