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Understanding the Marks Electrical Consumer Protection Enforcement Case
The Marks Electrical consumer protection enforcement case highlights ongoing efforts by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to tackle unfair online pricing practices, ensuring transparency and protecting shoppers from hidden charges.
As specialists in competition and consumer law at The Competition Lawyers, we are committed to keeping consumers and businesses informed about key developments in market fairness.
The Marks Electrical consumer protection enforcement case could represent a pivotal moment in the UK’s efforts to enhance online shopping transparency, particularly in the homeware sector. Launched by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in late 2025, this investigation underscores the growing scrutiny on digital retail practices that could mislead or disadvantage shoppers. With household budgets under pressure from economic challenges, cases like this are crucial for ensuring that consumers receive clear, upfront information about costs and options during their purchasing journey.
CMA Investigates Anti-Competitive Practices in Fragrances and Fragrance Ingredients Sector
Launched in March 2023, the CMA’s probe into suspected anti-competitive conduct in the supply of fragrances and fragrance ingredients underscores the regulator’s commitment to fostering fair competition.
In the ever-evolving world of consumer goods, the fragrance industry plays a pivotal role in enhancing everyday products like perfumes, soaps, and cleaning supplies. However, recent developments from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have cast a spotlight on potential misconduct within this niche.
As experts at The Competition Lawyers, we break down this high-stakes investigation to help businesses and stakeholders navigate its implications.
Fake Online Reviews: The CMA’s Crackdown and What It Means for Consumers
In today’s digital marketplace, online reviews significantly influence consumer decisions. However, the prevalence of fake online reviews undermines trust and distorts fair competition.
Recognising this, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has intensified efforts to combat fraudulent reviews, ensuring consumers receive accurate information.
Understanding the CMA’s Infant and Follow-On Formula Market Study: What It Means for Consumers
In the wake of rising concerns about the infant and follow-on formula market, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation to ensure fair competition and protect consumers.
At The Competition Lawyers, we recognise the importance of transparency and market fairness, especially when it comes to products that impact the well-being of young children. This article explores the key points of the CMA’s market study and explains how it affects both consumers and manufacturers.
Ticketmaster Consumer Protection Case
The Ticketmaster consumer protection case has sparked a major investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), focusing on whether the ticket-selling giant has breached consumer rights.
This case arose from concerns over how Ticketmaster manages ticket sales, including alleged issues of dynamic pricing, unclear fees, and high-pressure sales tactics. If proven, these practices may have cost consumers millions and potentially violated important consumer protection laws.
The CMA’s investigation seeks to hold Ticketmaster accountable if any wrongdoing has occurred. At The Competition Lawyers, we are closely monitoring this case to ensure that those affected are informed of their rights and understand how to claim compensation if Ticketmaster is found to be in breach of the law.
Social media endorsements – CMA investigations
For several years, the CMA has been investigating social media endorsements to make sure that vital competition and consumer laws in the UK and not being broken.
Given the prevalence of social media, particularly in respect of it being used for marketing and advertising these days, it is vital that people know when they are seeing advertisements and products and services being pushed for recompense by influences. There have been many questions as to whether it has been clear enough that people know they are being advertised to as opposed to simply being recommended a product, which is the real focus of the CMA investigation.
Most favoured nation clause example: ComparetheMarket fined £17.8m
Last year, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published the details of its full decision having fined ComparetheMarket £17.8m for reportedly breaching competition law. The investigation that had been concluded by the UK’s competition regulator led to the finding that the famous price comparison website was said to have broken the law by including a most favoured nation clause in some of the contracts it had with home insurance providers.
Over the course of December 2015-December 2017, ComparetheMarket is said to have used the clause to retain its domination of the comparison website market. The knock-on effect may have been the prevention of healthy growth of its competitors and possibly restricting customers from finding better deals on their home insurance.
Designed to empower consumers to find bargains in a crowded and confusing market, price comparison websites should be on the side of their users. This is why it was concerning that ComparetheMarket had been restricting competition seemingly for their own gain. The enforcement action taken by the CMA hopefully helped to restore competitiveness in the digital price comparison market, and is a real example of where the most favoured nation clause can lead to problems for competition law.
Many businesses have made great leaps in their development due to technology, and the CMA’s (Competition and Markets Authority) Digital Markets Taskforce was created to investigate how competition could be regulated in a way befitting of the digital age. Asked by the government to carry out an advisory report, the CMA look to have made good on this goal, having published their findings and recommendations in December last year.
The revamped approach to digital firms will hopefully promote fair competition and reaffirm the rights of consumers, two of the key principles that must be there to ensure for fair competition. Both can be essential to ensuring a level playing field, and any failure in respect of these principles could constitute a breach of competition law. Breaches of competition law can often be very bad for the consumer, so the work of the CMA and other regulators is vital.
Final report published by CMA on funerals competition investigation
The CMA has finally published their concluding report on the funerals competition investigation which has been ongoing for several years, after it began in June 2018. Revealed to the public in mid-December, the report set out a series of suggested “sunlight remedies” to be applied in the funerals market sector.
These remedies are designed to empower consumers further when it comes to selecting funeral services, and to ensure that the sector remains under scrutiny following the investigation. The Remedies Implementation timetable was also published as of 8th January 2021, which set a deadline for implementing remedial action by 17th June 2021.
While there has been no action taken or fines issued as a result of this investigation so far, the CMA’s concerns for the funeral industry remain significant. As believers in fair competition, it is important that regulators work hard to make sure that business practices are fair for companies and customers. We believe that the thorough investigation has demonstrated strong support for the rights of the consumer in this industry.
Suspected breach of consumer protection law on secondary ticketing websites
There has been a suspected breach of consumer protection law on secondary ticketing websites that the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) has been investigating.
After the original review of secondary ticketing websites involving StubHub, GET ME IN! and Seatwave in 2018, the CMA is further investigating the compliance of some after alleged concerns about compliance with UK consumer law.