The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) has given final approval to McColl’s acquisition of 298 convenience stores from the Co-operative Group.

McColl’s will begin to integrate the stores in late January 2017 and expects all conversions to be completed by the end of August 2017.

The deal was first announced on 13 July 2016. The acquisition of the Co-op stores will take the proportion of convenience stores operated by McColl’s to over three-quarters of its total estate.

McColl’s chief executive Jonathan Miller said: “We are delighted that the CMA has approved our acquisition of these 298 quality convenience stores. This is a transformational deal, which substantially accelerates our growth strategy and expands our neighbourhood presence for the benefit of our customers.

“We have a long history and proven track record of successfully integrating convenience stores into our estate, and we expect these newly acquired stores to make a significant contribution to our future strategic plans.”