Unite / Empiric merger inquiry

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating the anticipated acquisition by Unite Group Plc of Empiric Student Property Plc.

Statutory timetable

Date Action
19 December 2025 Deadline for phase 1 decision (*)
23 October 2025 Launch of merger inquiry
16 September 2025 to 30 September 2025 Invitation to comment

(*) Whilst the CMA will seek to determine its investigation as quickly as possible, the statutory deadline can be extended in certain limited circumstances.

Phase 1

Launch of merger inquiry

23 October 2025: The CMA announced the launch of its merger inquiry by notice to the parties.

  • (23.10.25)

Invitation to comment: closed

16 September 2025: The CMA is issuing this ‘invitation to comment’ to allow interested parties to submit to the CMA any initial views on the impact that the transaction could have on competition in the UK. The CMA has not yet launched its formal investigation into this transaction. This invitation to comment is the first part of the CMA’s information-gathering process.

This invitation to comment closed on 30 September 2025.

Pre-notification

The CMA has received the necessary information from the parties to commence pre-notification.

Contact

Please send written representations about any competition issues to:

Privacy notice

Your name and contact details are your personal data. In collecting, receiving, storing, accessing and using your personal data, the CMA, as controller, is processing your personal data. The CMA processes personal data in accordance with data protection law. The CMA is processing your personal data so that it can contact you again, should it need further help or information from you, in order to carry out its merger work under Part 3 of the Enterprise Act 2002. For more information about how the CMA processes personal data and your rights relating to that data, please see our Privacy notice.

Updates to this page

Published 16 September 2025
Last updated 23 October 2025 show all updates
  1. Merger inquiry launched.

  2. First published.