Poundland's £55mn take over of rival 99p stores has finally been given a go ahead, after it has won provisional approval from the competition watchdog.
An investigation in April found a merger would result in a substantial lessening of competition in certain areas through a possible reduction in quality, fewer promotions or closure of stores.
However, a survey of 5,000 customers and an analysis of company documents and commercial data came to a different conclusion. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has over turned its previous decision and concluded that the deal will not make customers "worse off".
