It hasn't been for a lack of trying that Wal-Mart has been unable to unseat Tesco at the top of the U.K. retailing heap. Despite the best efforts of its Asda division, Wal-Mart has had to settle with being among the many that trail Sir Terry Leahy and company.
It is because of its second rung ranking in the U.K. that it could be seen as inevitable that Asda would be among those rumored to be interested in bidding for J Sainsbury, the third largest supermarket chain in Britain.
According to a report by The Daily Telegraph, Asda is "on the verge of contacting the competition authorities" to determine how much resistance it would face should it make a bid for the chain.
While most dismiss the prospects of the antitrust regulators giving the go-ahead for a bid, some believe that Tesco's dominance in the market might open an opportunity for Asda to go after Sainsbury.
It has been widely reported that Sainsbury is considering an offer of £9.5 billion from a private equity consortium led by CVC Capital Partners and including Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Blackstone Group and Texas Pacific.
CVC and its partners are believed to be negotiating with Sainsbury's pension fund trustees as the last hurdle to closing the deal.
Discussion questions: How likely is it that antitrust regulators in the U.K. will give Wal-Mart the okay to make a bid for Sainsbury? Do you see any benefit to Sainsbury being acquired by Wal-Mart/Asda versus the consortium led by CVC Capital Partners?