A plan by the UK’s largest student accommodation provider to take over a rival could come under scrutiny by the UK’s competition watchdog after it said it was looking into the deal.
Bristol-headquartered Unite Group announced last month it had struck a £723m takeover of London-based Empiric Student Property. Under the agreement, Unite will purchase Empiric’s entire issued and anticipated ordinary share capital.
But the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Tuesday (September 16) it was gathering information on the acquisition and inviting interested parties to share their views on the impact it could have on lettings competition in the UK.
Unite previously said acquiring Empiric would help it grow into the UK’s strongest universities. The company also wants to have more exposure to “returner” students such as undergraduates after their first year, and postgraduates.
If the takeover is approved, Unite’s enlarged portfolio will reach £10.5bn, rising from £7.4bn, and will encompass roughly 75,000 beds.
Richard Huntingford, chair of Unite, said last month that acquiring Empiric’s “high-quality and complementary portfolio” would accelerate the company’s growth and “better serve students” throughout their academic journey.
The CMA said it had not yet launched its formal investigation into the proposed takeover.
Last week, Unite reported a record number of British 18-year-olds were heading to university this year, while demand from non-EU and Chinese students had also risen.
The organisation said 94% of rooms had been sold for the 2025/26 academic year – up from 90% mid-August – as it targets occupancy rates of at least 97%. Sales to international and post-grad students are expected to continue throughout September, it added.
In July, Unite reported growing demand for its accommodation across the UK as university applications continued to pick up.
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