Shares of Marston’s PLC (LON: MARS) crashed over 10% last Thursday after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an investigation into the company’s merger with Carlsberg UK.
Marston’s competitors argued for months that the proposed merger is likely to hurt the competition. The regulators have therefore launched a probe into the proposed merger.
“CMA must make sure that any merger does not stifle fair competition, access to market for brewers, and ensure decent consumer choice of beer in pubs up and down the country,” said Tom Stainer, the CEO of Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
Ready to put what you’ve learned into practice?
Try IG’s platform with £10,000 in virtual funds and practise trading
without putting your own money at risk.
Try IG with a demo account →
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.
Learn the markets with IG Academy
Build your knowledge with IG Academy educational content, then use a
demo account to practise what you’ve learned on the IG platform.
Explore IG →
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.
See how trading works before risking real money
IG’s demo gives you access to thousands of markets and £10,000 in
virtual funds, so you can explore the platform and test your ideas first.
Open an IG demo →
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.
Turn trading theory into practical experience
Learn with IG Academy, explore charts and market tools, and practise
strategies in a simulated trading environment before going live.
Start practising with IG →
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.
Ready to take your learning further?
IG combines market education, analysis and an established trading platform,
giving you the tools to keep learning as you develop your trading skills.
Discover IG →
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.
The new company, Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company, should be worth nearly £800 million, with Carlsberg holding a 60% stake in the new firm. The deal was supposed to be closed in September, however, the latest move from the CMA has pushed this deadline back for four weeks.

Marston’s share price has recovered a portion of losses in the meantime, trading at 49.68p.