£222m takeover of Hawthorn pubs by Admiral Taverns faces competition probe September 28, 2021 The UK competition regulator said this afternoon it is leaning towards launching a probe into Admiral Taverns’ £222m takeover of the Hawthorn pub business. Admiral sealed a deal to buy the pub estate, which covers 674 venues across the UK, from the retail property investor NewRiver, in July. The move will strengthen Admiral’s position as [...]
Inmarsat buyer plans London HQ in bid to ease security fears November 14, 2021 A US satellite company which offered to buy Britain’s Inmarsat for $7.3bn (£5.5bn) could set up an international headquarters in London to appease national security regulators. Viasat is in ongoing discussions with UK ministers after it announced plans to purchase Inmarsat through a merger which would create one of the world’s largest satellite operators, the [...]
The time has come for a football regulator with teeth November 25, 2021 The point of free-market capitalism, which this paper subscribes to with whole-hearted support, is not that the animal forces of supply and demand should be left perfectly unchecked. For that reason, we set a level playing field – from the Financial Conduct Authority to the Competition and Markets Authority, we put safeguards in place to [...]
Groupon wrapped on knuckles by CMA for consumer experience August 9, 2021 The UK’s competition watchdog has given voucher scheme operator Groupon a warning over its treatment of customers. Refunds and replacement items were sometimes replaced by so-called credits, according to the Competition and Markets Authority. Groupon has pledged to “cooperate fully.” The watchdog said: “The CMA has found evidence that Groupon does not always provide customers [...]
Frasers Group approaches JD Sports to buy Footasylum after CMA setback December 26, 2021 Mike Ashley, chairman of Frasers Group (Fraser), has offered to buy retail chain Footasylum from JD Sports (JD) executive chairman Peter Cowgill, according to The Sunday Times.
Government ordered to reveal firms in £12bn PPE bonanza ‘VIP lane’ October 18, 2021 The government has been ordered to reveal the list of 47 companies which were awarded hefty PPE contracts via the ‘high-priority lane’ at the beginning of the pandemic last year. The contracts cost the government some £12.5bn, despite a number of reports that some of the PPE acquired was ‘unusable’. The Information Commissioner has told [...]
CMA to open EV charging competition on motorways November 17, 2021 The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is set to open up a competition for electric vehicle charging on motorways. Citing the necessity for drivers to have “a greater choice of chargepoints where they need them”, the CMA has set established for competing firms to offer legally-binding assurances, also known as commitments. For its part, [...]
Petrol station firm EG Group mulls ‘potential $15bn sale’ September 9, 2021 Petrol station forecourt giant EG Group is reportedly mulling options for its future, including a potential sale. Bloomberg reported that a deal to sell the company, which is backed by the billionaire Issa brothers and private equity firm TDR Capital, could fetch as much as $15bn. The firm could also go for an initial public [...]
Kwarteng orders review of petrol retail market to ensure fuel duty cuts are passed on to consumers June 12, 2022 Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has ordered the market watchdog to conduct an "urgent review" of the petrol market.
JD Sports and Footasylum hit with £5m fine following covert car park rendezvous February 14, 2022 city watchdog has slapped sports retailers JD Sports and Footasylum with a £5m fine after the firms’ bosses conducted covert meetings to discuss a blocked takeover, it has revealed.