CMA concerned £94m hearing implant merger will stoke higher prices for NHS December 6, 2022 A merger between two hearing implant suppliers has raised concerns within the UK’s competition watchdog, which said a deal could risk higher prices for the NHS and less choice for patients. Should Cochlear and Demant’s £94m deal for Otican Medical go ahead, it would mean the combined group would control between 90 and 100 per [...]
Tesco cuts price on 30 own brand products including pasta and oil as supermarket wars continue May 16, 2023 Tesco has announced another round of price cuts on its own-brand pasta and cooking oil as it sees deflation making its way through to cupboard essentials. The UK’s biggest supermarket is dropping the price of 30 products, with 15p off 500g and 1kg packs of own-brand pasta, 14p off its one litre vegetable oil and [...]
Telegraph takeover ‘completely unacceptable’ says former MI6 chief December 10, 2023 A former MI6 chief has sounded the alarm bells over what he calls a potentially calamitous foreign takeover of The Telegraph.
Spanish telecoms Cellnex firm widens reach in the UK under £8.7bn deal November 11, 2022 Spanish telecoms firm Cellnex is widening its reach in the UK under a €10bn (£8.7bn) European deal covering six countries. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has now cleared the deal for CK Hutchison, which owns telcoms towers, in the UK. Cellnex has also acquired CK Hutchison in Austria, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and Italy. The [...]
Vodafone turnaround shows progress as it sweats on Three UK merger decision May 14, 2024 Vodafone’s recently-sold Italian and Spanish divisions were offloaded so the company could focus on its better performing businesses.
Mattress seller Emma probed by watchdog after discount urgency concerns November 30, 2022 Competition regulators are probing mattress seller Emma Sleep after concerns some of its online sales practices could be falling foul of consumer law. The sleep wellness brand is being investigated for potentially misleading shoppers by its use of countdown timers, with concerns of false warnings that a discounted price will end soon. A probe into [...]
Supermarkets scramble to cut diesel pump prices amid watchdog probe June 1, 2023 Supermarkets are rushing to cut the cost of diesel after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced a probe into whether a “failure in competition” between supermarkets is leaving Brits paying more than they should be at the pumps. According to RAC analysis, major retailers have “quickened the pace” of diesel cuts, with the average [...]
Microsoft and Revolut spats show UK regulators won’t ‘roll over and play dead’, tech chief says May 21, 2023 Microsoft and Revolut’s high-profile spats with City regulators do not signal an underlying hostility to tech and instead show rulemakers in the UK will not “roll over and play dead”, a top London tech chief has said.
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey slams firms for participating in ‘greedflation’ July 6, 2023 Businesses charging unfair prices for products must be “tackled” to help bring down inflation, the Governor of the Bank of England has claimed. Andrew Bailey, speaking to the BBC’s Newsround programme, said there is evidence that some retailers are “charging too much” for petrol. His comments come after the UK’s competition watchdog, the Competition and [...]
Petrol prices rise for first time in eight months as CMA breaths down supermarkets’ necks July 6, 2023 Petrol prices rose for the first time in eight months in June just days after the competition regulator found supermarkets hiked up fuel prices last year. Unleaded increased by nearly a penny (0.7p) to 143.9p, while diesel came down by 1.2p to 145.46p at the end of month, marking eight consecutive monthly reductions, according to [...]