The Famous Grouse sale to billionaire’s empire on the rocks January 29, 2025 A deal which saw whisky giant The Famous Grouse sold to one of the UK’s richest men is to be investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Drinks business Edrington sold the brand, which been owned by its 1887 Company, to William Grant & Sons in September last year for an undisclosed sum. William Grant & [...]
Reeves ramps up pressure on regulators in bid for growth January 16, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves and business secretary Jonathan Reynolds are set to meet with a group of watchdogs today as they kickstart plans to cut red tape from the economy and drive growth through regulation. The chiefs of various regulatory agencies, including Competition and Markets Authority, Ofcom and Ofwat, have been summoned to Downing Street. Officials [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Leading with insight: Geradin Partners corners trend in competition law October 7, 2024 When trying to "shake things up" in the competition legal market, who better than someone who spent over seven years as a legal director for the regulator
Barratt Redrow merger given greenlight by competition watchdog October 4, 2024 The competition watchdog has given its final clearance for the merger of housebuilders Barratt and Redrow. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into the proposed £2.5bn deal in June after it was first announced in February. The deal was completed in August without regulatory approval after the CMA suggested there were reasonable grounds to believe [...]
Price rises and smaller data packages: Regulator voices concerns over Vodafone’s £15bn Three merger September 13, 2024 The planned £15bn merger between Vodafone and Three could lead to price increases for tens of millions of mobile customers, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has warned. The watchdog added that the deal, which was first announced last year, could also see customers get a reduced service such as smaller data packages in their [...]
Google accused of using its dominance to harm the competition September 6, 2024 Google has been accused of using “anti-competitive practices” which harm thousands of publishers and advertisers in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it has provisionally found that the US giant could be negatively impacting rivals over open-display advert technology. According to its findings, the watchdog said that when placing digital adverts on [...]