Vodafone Group and CK Hutchison Group (CKHGT) have announced that the merger of Vodafone UK and Three UK successfully completed on 31 May 2025.
The combined business is named VodafoneThree. It is 51 per cent owned by Vodafone and 49 per cent by CKHGT, and Vodafone will fully consolidate VodafoneThree in its financial results.
The chief executive officer of the combined business is Max Taylor (pictured), who currently leads Vodafone UK. Three UK’s Darren Purkis is appointed chief financial officer.
Margherita Della Valle, chief executive, Vodafone Group, said, “The merger will create a new force in UK mobile, transform the country’s digital infrastructure and propel the UK to the forefront of European connectivity.
“We are now eager to kick-off our network build and rapidly bring customers greater coverage and superior network quality. The transaction completes the reshaping of Vodafone in Europe, and following this period of transition we are now well-positioned for growth ahead.”
Canning Fok, deputy chairman, CK Hutchison and executive chairman, CKHGT, added, “As we have demonstrated in other European markets, scale enables the significant investment needed to deliver the world-beating mobile networks our customers expect, and the Vodafone and Three merger provides that scale.
“In addition, this transaction unlocks significant shareholder value, returning approximately £1.3 billion in net cash to the group.”