The competition watchdog is allowing Hays Travel to give more business support to Polka Dot Travel and Millington Travel to ensure both agency chains remain as going concerns during its merger investigations.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced in December 2025 that it was looking into whether Hays’ acquisition of 15-branch Polka Dot Travel and 14-branch Millington Travel posed a threat to competition in the UK.
It issued an Initial Enforcement Order to suspend the acquisitions pending its investigation, but it has since added several exemptions to allow Hays to lend specific support to both businesses.
The CMA has agreed that Hays can second a member of its team to ‘actively manage, oversee and provide strategic guidance’ to Polka Dot and Millington.
It said this was to maintain the agencies as going concerns and to ‘ensure the effective continuity, ongoing viability and independent competitive capability’ of the two businesses.
The Hays representative must report to the CMA, rather than Hays, and they must ensure that the two businesses operate independently of Hays.
No information can be shared with Hays during the CMA investigation into the merger.
The CMA had earlier agreed that Hays could execute various marketing campaigns on behalf of both businesses, and it can assist them with anticipated updates to anti-money laundering policies and practices.
The competition watchdog must either approve the takeovers of the two agencies or confirm that it is continuing to a fuller, phase two investigation into Polka Dot Travel by 26 April and Millington Travel by 27 April.
