Granite Company Limited, Marble Company Limited, Stone Company Limited, Rock Company Limited and Quartz Company Limited manufacture the same product and sell the products under their respective (individual) brand names.The market shares of each company are as follows:

Granite Company: 30%

Marble Company: 30%

Stone Company:20%

Rock Company:10%

Quartz Company: 10%

Granite and Marble are considering a merger with the merged company continuing to sell the two brands as separate products.

Explain the likelihood of this merger being approved by the competition regulator. In your answer you must set out and apply the relevant legal rules relating to mergers to the facts given.You are to use only the facts stated.