Starmer demands ‘concrete proposals’ on growth from regulators December 28, 2024 The Prime Minister has called on Britain’s regulators to do more to prioritise growth as he seeks to improve living standards by 2029. In letters sent last week, Sir Keir Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said they wanted to see “concrete proposals” from regulators setting out how they could “go further” [...]
Vodafone and Three: What £16.5bn merger actually means for customers and prices December 5, 2024 After an almost 18-month battle the UK’s largest ever telecoms deal – which will see Vodafone and Three complete a £16.5bn merger – has been given the green light. Described by Vodafone as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the UK’s digital infrastructure”, the deal has now satisfied the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) enough for [...]
CMA takes steps towards probe into BlackRock’s acquisition of Preqin December 3, 2024 The British competition regulator takes first steps towards a probe into BlackRock's anticipated £2.55bn acquisition of financial data group Preqin
Why UK petrol and diesel prices are still sky high despite recent fall November 28, 2024 The price of petrol and diesel in the UK fell between June and October 2024 but the margin retailers are making from each visit to the pump has surged. According to new figures from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) fuel prices decreased in the period because, in part, of the changing crude oil prices [...]
Tesco Clubcard and Sainbury’s Nectar schemes do help consumers, regulator says November 27, 2024 A year-long probe into UK supermarkets’ pricing practices has found “very little” evidence that shoppers are being treated unfairly with loyalty programmes such as the Tesco Clubcard scheme and Sainsbury’s Nectar points. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) probe, which has been ongoing since November last year, investigated whether supermarket loyalty schemes cause inflation by faking the [...]
Spreadex ordered to sell Sporting Index after ‘creating monopoly’ November 22, 2024 Spreadex has been ordered to sell Sporting Index after it was ruled that the acquisition had created a monopoly. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has told Spreadex to dispose of the ‘business-to-consumer’ firm after it snapped it up from Sporting Group last year. Spreadex and Sporting Index both provide sports fixed odds betting and sports [...]
Motorola in last chance saloon to overturn competition regulator’s charge control November 11, 2024 Telecoms giant Motorola is at court today as it seeks to overturn a decision by the competition regulator to impose a charge control on its subsidiary
Baby formula price cap could be considered by ministers, regulator says November 8, 2024 The government could consider introducing a price cap on baby formula with the aim of cutting costs for parents, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said. Parents are left “paying over the odds” for formula milk due to concerns around regulation in the market, the watchdog has said in an interim report into the [...]
Approval nears for £15bn Vodafone and Three merger November 5, 2024 A range of investments have been proposed by the competition watchdog which, if accepted, would lead to the £15bn merger between Vodafone and Three being finally completed. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has suggested upgrading the merged company’s network across the UK, including the roll-out of 5G, as well as short-term customer protections. The [...]
Higher prices warning issued over Wincanton takeover as GXO handed ultimatum November 1, 2024 The £762m takeover of Wincanton by GXO could lead to higher prices for business customers in the UK, according to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The watchdog has issued its initial findings on the deal which saw the Wiltshire-based business taken over by logistics giant GXO and delist from the London Stock Exchange earlier [...]