Commission will only approve sale if satisfied that merger is unlikely to reduce competition
The New Zealand Commerce Commission has received an application from J&P Turner (JPT) seeking clearance to acquire up to 100 per cent of the shares in Turners & Growers Fresh (T&G Fresh).
T&G Global announced its plans to sell its T&G Fresh division in April 2026 and will need the commission’s clearance to finalise the deal.
JPT’s owners, the Turner family, founded the original T&G business. T&G chief executive Gareth Edgecombe said JPT had ”deep sector expertise, strong belief in the underlying businesses, and long-term strategic intent to invest and grow the operations”.
Via its company Fresh Direct, JPT wholesales and distributes locally grown and imported fresh fruits and vegetables throughout New Zealand from six locations across the country.
It also performs ancillary services including packing, ripening, temperature-controlled metro transport, and processing of certain fruits.
The T&G Fresh division grows, transports, imports and wholesales fresh fruits and vegetables in New Zealand via its network of wholesale markets, distribution centres and associated trucking across the country.
In addition to transporting T&G-owned fruits and vegetables, it also provides transportation services for third-party customers and growers.
The commission has set a decision date of 26 August 2026 and said it would approve the sale if it didn’t substantially affect the market.
“We will only give clearance to a proposed merger if we are satisfied that the merger is unlikely to have the effect of substantially lessening competition in a market,” it said.
