John Lovering, the retail entrepreneur, will delay bidding for the Somerfield group until the competition commission report into the Safeway battle has been published.

Lovering and his bid partner Bob Mackenzie are thought to be unsure of making a formal offer while uncertainty remains over the outcome of the battle for Safeway.

Lovering and Mackenzie are unlikely to want to keep all 1,275 of Somerfield stores and would probably sell surplus stores to other retailers. However, the duo will be unable to secure firm purchase offers from these chains until the Safeway situation is clarified.