Issa brothers’ Asda takeover hits roadblock as watchdog probes petrol station competition concerns April 20, 2021 The UK’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into the acquisition of Asda by the Issa brothers and TDR Capital over concerns that it could drive up petrol prices. The companies have said they will work with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to find a resolution within the first stage of the probe. The [...]
CMA teams up with Australian and German authorities to tackle problematic mergers April 20, 2021 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has teamed up with its Australian and German counterparts to better enforce mergers, with healthy competition crucial to post-pandemic economic growth. The CMA, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and Germany’s Bundeskartellamt have signed up to a statement which said that “without strong merger control regimes, there is a [...]
Treasury Select Committee chair calls out UK banks for treatment of SMEs during Covid crisis April 20, 2021 Treasury Select Committee chair calls out UK banks for treatment of SME during Covid crisis
The legal issues around a European Super League: Can clubs really be banned from domestic leagues and players barred from World Cups? April 19, 2021 The battle lines over a European Super League may have been drawn but a legal fight that could last for years is only just beginning. Football authorities including the Premier League and Uefa have warned the rebel clubs they will be kicked out of existing domestic and European competitions if they push ahead. Players, too, [...]
UK launches national security review into Nvidia’s $40bn Arm takeover April 19, 2021 The UK has launched a review into Nvidia’s planned $40bn (£30bn) takeover of British chipmaker Arm amid concerns it could harm national security. Digital secretary Oliver Dowden today issued a public interest intervention notice (PIIN) relating to the proposed deal. Cambridge-based Arm is one of the world’s leading semiconductor companies. Chips are key to technologies [...]
Boris Johnson vows to block European Super League for English clubs April 19, 2021 Boris Johnson has this morning slammed the new European Super League proposal and has vowed to block English football teams from competing in the new breakaway league. Johnson told reporters today that the proposal, which includes England’s six richest clubs, was “not good news for fans” after last night’s announcement sparked global outrage and brought [...]
Inspiring Ideas April 16, 2021 Inspiring Ideas WOBI is a leading global business content hub. Our goal is to produce and distribute the best management media content to help companies and their top executives improve the way they manage their organizations. We strongly believe that knowledge is the main competitive advantage in today’s business world. We create the most inspiring [...]
Competition watchdog clears £31bn O2-Virgin Media merger April 14, 2021 The competition watchdog has provisionally cleared the £31bn merger between O2 and Virgin Media following an in-depth investigation. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a probe into the tie-up amid concerns it would harm competition in the wholesale market. Virgin Media provides leased lines to mobile operators such as Vodafone and Three, while O2’s [...]
UK must make tech firms pay for news, says competition watchdog April 13, 2021 The UK must introduce a new code to ensure news publishers are fairly compensated for the use of their stories on tech platforms, the competition watchdog has said. Daniel Gordon, senior director of markets at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), said his organisation agreed with the principles behind a new Australian law requiring tech [...]
Exclusive: London’s fintech bubble is ‘close to popping,’ warns Reed Smith partner April 13, 2021 A coalition of London fintech firms recently called on the Financial Conduct Authority to end the dominance of banks over the use of consumer data this year. They argue it would increase competition in the savings, credit, mortgages and pensions markets. Howard Womersley Smith, an expert fintech and data lawyer at Reed Smith in the [...]