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 [...]
CMA launches legal action against Emma Group October 25, 2024 The UK's competition watchdog has launched legal proceedings against mattress seller Emma Group after finding "harmful online selling practices".
Thames Water launches £3bn emergency fundraising drive October 25, 2024 Thames Water has launched a £3bn fundraising drive to help pay off some of the struggling utility’s large debt pile. The water company has just £500m in cash, and hopes the new money will extend its ability to function for at least another year. Thames Water said today that the money will allow the firm [...]
CMA launches merger inquiry into Alphabet and Anthropic partnership October 24, 2024 Britain's competition watchdog has opened a merger inquiry into Alphabet's partnership with artificial intelligence (AI) safety start-up Anthropic.
Vodafone and Three hit back at regulator’s concerns in merger battle September 30, 2024 Vodafone and Three have pushed back against the regulator’s concerns over their proposed £15bn merger, insisting that “outstanding issues can be resolved,” following the latest findings from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). In a response published today, the telecom firms said they “remain confident” in the deal, which would combine two of the UK’s [...]