Group 1 - Associated British Foods (ABF) and Hovis have requested the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to expedite the review process of their proposed merger, moving directly to an in-depth Phase 2 inquiry [1][3] - The CMA has accepted this request, allowing for a faster examination of the evidence by an independent group of experts [1][3] - ABF agreed to acquire the Hovis bread business from private-equity owner Endless in August, which would merge two significant branded suppliers in the UK bread market [1] Group 2 - Aidan Robson, managing partner of Endless, indicated that CMA approval is necessary for the transaction, emphasizing the focus on maintaining product quality and service during the review process [2] - The Phase 2 investigation is set to begin immediately, with a statutory deadline of June 24 [3][4] - ABF's recent trading update for the 16 weeks ending January 3 highlighted mixed trading results in its grocery unit, particularly in the US, where consumer demand has weakened in certain categories [4] Group 3 - ABF expressed caution regarding the outlook for its cooking oils and bakery ingredients businesses, expecting adjusted operating profit for the grocery and ingredients segments to be moderately below last year [4] - The impact of phasing in grocery is expected to be more significant in the first half of the year [5]