BA’s owner IAG could face investigation over Air Europa’s takeover November 22, 2021 British Airways’s owner IAG could face a formal investigation by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over the proposed takeover of Spanish carrier Air Europa. The watchdog announced today that it is “considering whether this transaction, if carried into effect, will result in the creation of a relevant merger situation” that could lead to [...]
CMA slaps pharma firms with £35m fine for illegal anti-nausea tablet arrangement February 3, 2022 Four pharmaceutical firms have been hit with an eye-watering £35m fine for an illegal arrangement in the supply of prescription NHS tablets.
Digital banks pull ahead of high street rivals in battle for consumers’ wallets August 17, 2021 Digital banks are pulling ahead of their traditional high street rivals in the battle to deliver strong customer services, according to findings from the competition watchdog. The Competition and Markets Authority found that Monzo, Starling Bank and First Direct are the top banks for customer service in Britain. The CMA conducted a survey of 1,000 [...]
Fuelling the fire: Independent retailers ignite petrol price war to attract motorists July 21, 2022 Petrol retailers have kickstarted a price war, with independent vendors slashing costs at the pumps to lure in motorists as the cost of living crisis deepens.
UK competition watchdog to investigate Central England Co-op funeral deal August 16, 2021 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will investigate the deal by the Central England Co-op to snap up part of its rival in the funeral care business, the Midcounties Co-op. The UK competition regulator said today it is considering whether the merger deal “may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition” within [...]
£31bn Virgin Media and O2 merger given final green light by UK competition watchdog May 20, 2021 £31bn Virgin Media and O2 merger given green light by UK competition watchdog
The TMT M&A game change: Are dealmakers ready to play? May 18, 2022 A few months into 2022, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in the technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT) sector is already setting the tone for an interesting year ahead, with some organizations making bold moves into the new and next. This is after a banner 2021 where the sector topped the tables in both value [...]
CMA closes investigation into Ryanair and British Airways October 7, 2021 The UK’s competition watchdog has closed an investigation into the legality of airlines failing to refund passengers who were prevented from flying by Covid restrictions. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation in June 2021 after British Airways offered customers vouchers or rebooking and Ryanair provided the option to rebook flights which could [...]
CMA launches probe into music streaming market January 27, 2022 UK competition watchdog launched a study this morning asking whether the music streaming market is working well for music lovers. In the UK, more than 80 per cent of recorded music is now listened to via a streaming service rather than using traditional physical media like CDs and vinyl. Linking the creators making the music [...]
Business Secretary intervenes in Cobham’s £2.6bn bid for Ultra Electronics on national security grounds August 18, 2021 Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has stopped the planned £2.6bn acquisition of defence firm Ultra Electronics by rival US-owned Cobham, to investigate possible national security risks from the merged entities. The Competition and Markets Authority will now prepare a report on the proposed transaction. Customers of Ultra, which sells torpedo and radar systems and a range [...]