Ofcom says BT merger with EE could harm other mobile firms July 19, 2015 Telecoms giant BT could be facing double trouble from the industry regulator, after Ofcom revealed concerns surrounding its proposed merger with mobile network EE. The planned £12.5bn takeover is being probed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which issued an update regarding the scope of its investigation at the end of last week. Ofcom [...]
Competition and Markets Authority sets out its plans to increase competition in the energy markets, sending Centrica and SSE share prices down July 7, 2015 Shares in energy providers dipped in early trading, after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) outlined a raft of measures aimed at increasing competition in the energy market. Shares in SSE fell 0.5 per cent to 1,566p while London-listed Centrica shares dropped 0.6 per cent to 265.9p, after a wide-ranging report attacked the UK's "Big [...]
The Competition and Markets Authority issues “final order” demanding Ryanair sell its Aer Lingus holding to British Airways parent IAG June 11, 2015 The Competition and Markets Authority has issued a final order that Ryanair sell down its stake in Aer Lingus, reducing its holding from 29.8 per cent to five per cent – but Ryanair has hit back at what it calls a "ridiculous" ruling. It follows a decision by the Irish government last month to [...]
Fellow watchdog to slam Ofgem over tariffs policy July 2, 2015 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is expected to slam Ofgem’s policy on electricity tariffs when it publishes the preliminary findings from its energy market review next week. The report, which is likely to be released on 7 July, will highlight the “four tariffs” rule that Ofgem imposes on energy firms as being bad for [...]
Booker’s sales rise as it awaits green light for Londis takeover July 8, 2015 BOOKER Group, which owns food wholesalers including Makro, yesterday unveiled a 0.4 per cent rise in first-quarter sales, while it awaits regulatory clearance to complete its takeover of Budgens and Londis. The FTSE 250 firm said its cash and carry division Makro and its delivered wholesale businesses Booker Direct, Chef Direct, Classic and Ritter all [...]
Popped corks as Greene King-Spirit pub partnership gets green light June 22, 2015 Pub operator Greene King yesterday toasted the competition watchdog’s approval of its £774m takeover of Spirit. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was satisfied the proposed sale of 16 pubs by the combined group would fix concerns raised by the company’s acquisition of Spirit Pub Company, and would not be referring the [...]
Iceland boss Malcolm Walker: Which? supercomplaint over supermarket offers was “b*****ks” July 17, 2015 Iceland boss Malcolm Walker – the supermarket sector's answer to Michael O'Leary – has blasted the Which? supercomplaint over misleading deals as “bollocks”. The consumer group took a petition signed by more than 100,000 to the Competition and Markets Authority earlier this year, claiming it had found examples of “dodgy special offers” that led [...]
BT’s billion-pound EE deal raises “significant” competition concerns, says regulator June 9, 2015 BT's deal to buy mobile network EE for £12.5bn has raised "significant" competition concerns, according to regulators. The Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) will address the concerns after fast-tracking the probe into the more detailed second phase following a request from BT. "We have found that there is a real risk that the merger could [...]
British retailer Next is the latest FTSE giant to invite companies to compete for its audit contract September 13, 2015 Recent regulatory changes have seen blue-chip companies enter an audit merry-go-round, with big names like Shell, British American Tobacco, Vodafone and RBS changing accountants. PwC, the market leader, is expected to lose out under the new rules, but chairman Ian Powell commented: “It’s obviously a challenge to the business, but actually our experience so far [...]
Saudi Arabian stock exchange to open up to foreign investments June 14, 2015 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is today opening its $500bn-plus Tadawul stock exchange to direct foreign investments, with the move to be closely watched by investors seeking opportunities in the Middle East. Under the new rules, qualified foreign investors with a minimum $5bn in assets under management and at least five years’ experience in the [...]