JD Sports given six weeks to sell Footasylum by UK competition regulator

The ruling does not impact either retailer in Ireland

JD Sports, which sells brands such as Nike, Adidas and Puma in its physical and online stores, has argued the pandemic has only increased competition, as global brands expand their direct-to-consumer businesses.

Britain's largest sportswear retailer JD Sports must sell sports trainer retailer Footasylum, the UK’s competition regulator has ruled, after a second investigation found the combination could leave consumers worse off even after considering stiff online competition amid the pandemic.

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) started investigating JD Sports' £86m (€101m) purchase of Footasylum in 2019 and ordered it to unwind the merger in May last year.