The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued its final decision on January 15 2026, ordering Aramark to divest its 90 % stake in Entier, the offshore catering provider that supplies food and facilities services to North Sea oil and gas platforms.
The CMA concluded that the merger of Aramark and Entier combined two of the three major suppliers in the UK offshore catering market, substantially reducing competition and potentially raising prices or lowering service quality for platform operators. The regulator’s investigation, which began in July 2025 and produced an interim report in October 2025, found that the combined entity would have a dominant position in a market with limited alternatives.
Aramark must identify a buyer and complete the sale within 12 weeks of the decision. The company has been given a 12‑week window to either accept the CMA’s final undertakings or to submit a final order requiring the divestiture to an approved buyer. The timeline places the sale deadline in early April 2026.
Aramark’s management expressed disappointment with the CMA’s ruling and stated that it intends to appeal the decision. The company had previously withdrawn a remedy proposal after the CMA’s interim report, indicating that it had sought to address competition concerns but ultimately could not secure a satisfactory remedy.
Entier, founded in 2008, reported a turnover of £61.7 million in 2023, a 25 % increase from the prior year, and employs roughly 700 people across several international locations. The divestiture will remove a unit that had contributed a modest but growing share of Aramark’s offshore services revenue, potentially affecting the company’s revenue mix and client relationships in the energy sector.
The forced sale represents a strategic setback for Aramark, which had viewed the Entier acquisition as a key expansion into the UK offshore market. While the divestiture will create short‑term operational disruption and a loss of a niche revenue stream, Aramark’s leadership remains confident that it can navigate the transition and continue to focus on its broader integrated food and facilities services portfolio.
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