The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating the proposed merger of the delivery company Evri with DHL’s UK e-commerce business.

The CMA said it would decide whether the Evri deal will result in a substantial lessening of competition. It said it would gather comments from interested parties for two weeks, until the 25 June, before starting the first phase of its investigation.

The merger could bring together more than 30,000 couriers and van drivers, and 12,000 further workers. The combined company would deliver more than 1bn parcels and 1bn letters each year, the companies said.

Evri was bought last year for £2.7bn by Apollo Capital Management, a US private equity company, from Advent International, another US private equity firm.

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