It only made some assurances of audited price investment later, but this might have had more sway if it had offered them at the start. "The confidence Coupe placed in getting the deal past the CMA in light of its previous – generous – decision to allow Tesco to buy Booker looks like a bad misjudgement now. Mike Coupe may feel hard done by, but the CMA made clear that the Tesco-Booker deal was passed because it considered the acquisition to be a vertical one, by a retailer of a wholesaler, and so viewed that the combination did not significantly damage the competitiveness of either market. The rights and wrongs of that decision are debateable but it looks difficult for Coupe to argue that the CMA's decision then is in direct contradiction of its decision regarding Asda/Sainsbury's now. "Asda's performance does not give as much cause for concern as Sainsbury's, which itself puts more pressure on Coupe. Why has Asda been able to manage the distraction of the merger so much better?