Hitachi’s £1.5bn Thales tie-up gets green light from CMA after proposed sell off October 4, 2023 The UK competition watchdog has given the green light for Hitachi’s £1.5bn takeover of Thales’ rail signalling interests, after the Japanese firm agreed to sell parts of its European mainline business. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into the deal amid concerns that it would reduce competition in the supply of rail [...]
Pets at Home and CVS shares plunge after CMA vows to investigate veterinary fees September 7, 2023 Shares in British veterinary services firms Pets at Home and CVS Group plunged on Thursday, after the UK’s antitrust watchdog launched a review into the market amid concerns that pet owners might not be getting a good deal. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will look into the fees charged for veterinary services amid soaring [...]
Taxpayers and passengers hit by competition issues in railway station catering market, watchdog warns December 12, 2023 A lack of competition in the railway station catering market is driving up costs for passengers and taxpayers, the rail watchdog has warned.
Hashtag Ad: Competition watchdog asks brands to be more transparent over influencer adverts November 4, 2022 The competition watchdog has published fresh guidance for Instagram influencers and big tech firms to help users identify a paid for endorsement. Regulators want to see social media publishers commit to being more open and transparent about when posts are paid for adverts. Under the new guidance, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has asked [...]
Major UK mobile networks hit with £3bn competition class action December 8, 2023 Four of the UK’s largest mobile network operators have been hit with a class action lawsuit, over allegations they used market dominance to overcharge customers. The class action was filed to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) against Vodafone, EE, Three, and O2. The case alleges that the companies have been abusing their dominant positions in [...]
Microsoft’s £55bn acquisition of Call of Duty games creator blocked by UK’s competition authority April 26, 2023 Microsoft has had its $68.7bn (£55bn) acquisition of Activision Blizzard blocked by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the regulator confirmed on Wednesday. The CMA blocked the deal over concerns it would lessen competition in the UK cloud gaming market by giving Microsoft it control over where Activision games are available. “Cloud gaming needs a [...]
Pennon mega-deal for Sutton and East Surrey Water facing competition probe March 7, 2024 Pennon paid £89m in equity but the total enterprise deal was worth £380m
Google faces £7bn UK legal claim over anti-competitive search engine practices September 7, 2023 Google is the subject of a new multibillion-pound legal claim in the UK which accuses the tech giant of shutting out competition in mobile search and driving up prices for consumers as a result. The claim, filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, is seeking around £7 billion in damages for UK consumers. It accuses the [...]
‘Intelligence received’ suggesting airports breaking competition law – regulator January 26, 2023 UK airports could be breaking competition law, according to information received by a regulator. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has written to airport operators warning of “serious consequences” for illegal information sharing. The letter, produced jointly with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), stated: “The CMA has recently received intelligence to suggest that some UK [...]
Cerelia to sell Jus-Rol after appeal to allow pastry merger blocked in court September 2, 2023 A pastry manufacturer will be forced to sell off a rival business after an appeal to allow the merger was blocked by a judge, the UK’s competition watchdog has said. Cerelia, the UK’s largest producer of bake-at-home products in the UK, agreed to buy rival pastry maker Jus-Rol for an undisclosed amount in 2021. But [...]