Editing Asda (section)

====Abandoned merger with Sainsbury's====
In April 2018, Sainsbury's and Walmart announced negotiations about a possible merger of Sainsbury's and Asda, creating the largest supermarket chain in the UK.<ref>{{cite news|last=Tovey|first= Alan |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/04/28/sainsburys-mulls-asda-tie-up-create-supermarket-giant/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/04/28/sainsburys-mulls-asda-tie-up-create-supermarket-giant/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Sainsbury's in 'advanced' discussions over £10bn-plus merger with Asda to create supermarket giant |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=28 April 2018 |access-date=8 February 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Under the plans, Walmart would own 42% of the combined business,<ref>{{cite web | title=Mike Coupe on creating a dynamic new player in UK retail | via=[[YouTube]] | url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=10s&v=tHvvH0E7hdM | date=30 April 2018 | access-date=1 May 2018 | archive-date=7 October 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007152731/https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=10s&v=tHvvH0E7hdM | url-status=live }}</ref> which would be led by the existing chief executive of Sainsbury's, Mike Coupe. The group would also open branches of [[Argos (retailer)|Argos]] within Asda stores. The merger underwent intense scrutiny by a cross-party group of MPs, chairing select committees for the proposed merger, along with the Competition and Markets Authority, investigating the impact of how the deal could negatively affect the retail industry by a possible reduction of consumer choice for shoppers resulting in price rises, and of how suppliers, especially smaller, family-owned companies could be squeezed by the combined group. The CMA were inundated with complaints by suppliers and other major retailers of the damage they felt would be inflicted upon them if the deal was approved.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sainsbury's vows Asda deal will cut prices|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43945254|access-date=30 April 2018|work=BBC News|date=30 April 2018|archive-date=30 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430063952/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43945254|url-status=live}}</ref> On 25 April 2019 the CMA blocked the proposed merger, suggesting that it would increase prices for consumers and make competition unfair for the other UK retailers, Sainsbury's then announced that it was abandoning the merger.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/219067/sainsbury-s-and-walmart-s-asda-abandon-merger-after-competition-watchdog-rejects-deal-219067.html|title=Sainsbury's and Walmart's Asda abandon merger after competition watchdog rejects deal|date=25 April 2019|website=Proactiveinvestors UK|access-date=2 May 2019|archive-date=2 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502133346/https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/219067/sainsbury-s-and-walmart-s-asda-abandon-merger-after-competition-watchdog-rejects-deal-219067.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Nils Pratley]] in 2025 summarised the Walmart years in one sentence: "The business underperformed for years under Walmart’s ownership".<ref name=pratley>{{cite news| last=Pratley | first=Nils|author-link=Nils Pratley| title=Why does Asda terrify stock market investors? |newspaper=The Guardian | date=19 March 2025 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/nils-pratley-on-finance/2025/mar/19/asda-stock-market-supermarket-price-war-tesco-sainsburys-m-and-s | access-date=19 March 2025}}</ref>