Netto store

Walmart-owned retail group Asda has put 30 of its recently acquired Netto discount stores up for sale, following a ruling from the UK Office of Fair Trading.

In May, Asda announced it had reached a deal with Dansk Supermarked A/S to purchase the UK arm of its Netto Foodstores discount chain for £778m (€914m) on a cash and debt free basis.

However, the Office of Fair Trading has now asked the retailer to dispose of part of its Netto portfolio in the country, which amounts to 193 stores in total.

According to press reports in the UK, rival retailer Morrisons is thought to be interested in securing the stores, as it looks to push forward with its strategy of operating a greater number of small stores.