JD Sports talks Footasylum sale with Aurelius Group amid watchdog order July 20, 2022 FTSE 100 retailer JD Sports Fashion is looking to sell up its Footasylum chain to the Aurelius Group following months of talks with the UK competition watchdog.
Konecranes and Cargotec spike merger after UK watchdog blocks deal March 29, 2022 Cranes manufacturer Konecranes and cargo machinery firm Cargotec have spiked their upcoming merger following intervention from the UK’s competition watchdog. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the deal, on the basis that the Finnish duo selling off all overlapping businesses would fail to address the regulator’s concerns. The deal, announced at the beginning of [...]
Fuel war: RAC and AA at loggerheads over price speculation June 15, 2022 As petrol prices hit a new record high, a disagreement has opened up between major motoring groups the AA and RAC about speculation on fuel pricing.
Budget: International competition to become new priority for City watchdogs October 25, 2021 The Treasury is reportedly going to reveal this week that City regulators must consider competition as much as they do safety and soundness when making key decisions. The move, set to be unveiled in the budget, is expected to be accompanied by a cut in surcharge tax on banks’ profits. The Treasury has been in [...]
We’re instinctively afraid of Big Things, but we don’t need to break up the Home Office January 25, 2023 Whether its Big Government or Big Tech, we have an innate fear of anything too large or unwieldy. But breaking things up - or making them smaller - won't in itself fix problems in the system, writes Sascha O'Sullivan.
JD Sports appears to relinquish Footasylum in takeover battle with watchdog December 12, 2021 Footwear firm JD Sports seems likely to admit defeat in its clash with the country’s competition watchdog over its proposed takeover of a rival. JD Sports had been looking to buy rival footwear retailer Footasylum but has faced multiple obstacles from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). After a decision from the watchdog, JD was [...]
Asda deal to sell petrol forecourts to EG Group terminated October 18, 2021 The Issa brothers have decided to terminate EG Group’s acquisition of Asda’s petrol forecourt business. In an update on Monday, Asda said the termination came after the supermarket and the Issa brothers’ EG were allowed to share commercial information with one another. They had been previously restricted under UK competitive law but a ‘hold separate’ [...]
Clive Bannister set to take over as CMA chair after two-year hunt May 12, 2022 The UK’s competition watchdog is set to appoint former Phoenix Group and HSBC executive Clive Bannister as its chair after a two year hunt, according to reports. Bannister will takeover as chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after Andrew Tyrie, the former chair, was ousted in 2020 in a boardroom coup, the Financial [...]
Amazon files lawsuit against 10,000 Facebook groups as battle with fake reviews continues July 19, 2022 Amazon has filed a lawsuit against more than 10,000 Facebook groups this morning in an attempt to crack down on fake reviews.
Before giving the CMA more teeth, we should look at its Meta shaped bite marks June 16, 2022 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been flexing its muscles like a growing schoolboy recently. On Tuesday, it finally got a well-deserved admonishment from the Competition Appeals Tribunal after an appeal by Meta – the company formerly known as Facebook – against the watchdog’s decision to stop it buying Giphy, a provider of moving [...]