Delay on MSA sales
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• Granada's buy-out of Forte could go to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission if it does not quickly sell the 21 motorway service areas it acquired with the deal.
After two months of discussions with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), Granada says it does not know when it will be able to sign an understanding to sell the Welcome Break sites.
The delay has led to fears that Granada will raise prices on the M4 where, with the pre viously Forte-owned sites, it has a monopoly on MSA ownership.
But Granada says: "There is no indication that prices are going up and there is no indication that it will happen."
The OFT says the Granada/Forte deal could be threatened. A spokesman says: "If we do not get an undertaking then we will have to advise the Government to refer the Granada/Forte deal to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission."