CMA’s investigation into the pharmaceutical industry for its steep price increase

Pharmaceutical companies are being investigated over ‘unacceptable and unethical’ price hikes.

The health department spokesman said that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are carrying out five investigations into the pharmaceutical and health sector.
Read More

Steel water tank suppliers fined a total of £2.6 million for anti-competitive practices

The U.K. competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has issued two decisions imposing fines on three suppliers in the steel tank industry for anti-competitive practices. The companies involved are: Franklin Hodge Industries Ltd; Galglass Ltd; Kondea Water Supplies Ltd; and CST Industries (U.K.) Ltd.

The civil investigation, which has been ongoing since 2012, has finally come to a head with The CMA satisfied that suppliers of galvanised steel tanks have infringed U.K. and EU competitions laws.
Read More

Enforcement investigation launched in the secondary ticketing sector

The Office of Fair Trading (the U.K.’s former competition watchdog) launched an investigation into the secondary ticketing market back in 2012. As a result of the investigation, four secondary ticket sellers gave undertakings to the current competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

Now, the CMA has recently launched an enforcement investigation to see whether the sector are complying with consumer protection laws.
Read More

Offering discounts can amount to breach of competition laws in the Pharmaceutical industry

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an investigation in December 2015 for a suspected breach of EU and U.K. competition laws in the pharmaceutical industry.

The CMA are looking at whether an unnamed pharmaceutical company has abused a dominant market position by offering discounts on products, which may have breached Chapter II of the Competition Act (CA), and Article 102 Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
Read More

Director has been disqualified for five years for infringement of Competition law

This case shows the range of powers of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Recently, the CMA managed to secure the disqualification of a director who breached competition law.

Daniel Aston, a former director of Trod Limited, infringed the Competition Act from March 2011 to July 2015 by making an anti-competitive agreement with GB Eye Limited. The agreement detailed that both companies wouldn’t offer to sell licensed sport and entertainment posters and frames for a lower cost than the other.

This is a clear breach of fair competition rules.
Read More

“Leased line charges to be reviewed by the CMA” – CityFibre and TalkTalk appeals to the CAT

The Competition and Markets Authority has recently opened a case to investigate the prices that BT charges in providing lease line services to other telecom providers.

Two telecom providers – CityFibre and TalkTalk – have appealed to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) following an Ofcom decision in their three-year Business Connectivity Market Review (BCMR).
Read More

“Is there a lack of competition in the Euro Car Parts acquisition?” – The CMA are investigating whether the acquisition between Euro Car Parts has decreased competition

Recently, the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) served an initial enforcement order (IEO) against the LKQ Corporation Group, who owns the U.K. subsidiary Euro Car Parts Limited. The order was served on the LKQ Group following their recent acquisition of the Andrew Page business.
Read More

“Suspected anti-competitive agreements in the solid fuel industry” – Agreements that could infringe EU and national competition laws

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are looking into an alleged anti-competition agreement made between companies for the supply of solid fuel products in the U.K.

There are no substantive grounds to find that there has been a breach of national and EU competition laws at present, but the CMA was notified of the suspicions, and an investigation was recently launched.
Read More

“Anti-competitive agreements in the Tobacco industry” – Authorities have fined two manufacturers and nine retailers £225 million

In April 2008 there were concerns into whether the tobacco manufacturing industry was unlawfully fixing cigarette prices.

As a result of the concerns, the Competition and Markets Authority (formerly the Office for Fair Trading) investigated several manufacturers and retailers, including Imperial Tobacco, Gallaher Group, Asda, Somerfield Stores, and Co-operative Group Food for their potential infringements of competition law: specifically in relation to the retail pricing of certain tobacco products.
Read More

“Are the U.K. government guilty of anti-competitive agreements?” – Speculations that the U.K. government has made an anti-competitive deal with Nissan post-Brexit

Claims of the U.K. entering in to anti-competitive agreements have surfaced following assurances supposedly given to Nissan Motor Company following the recent referendum result for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union – i.e Brexit.

The EU anti-competitive regulator is looking into the allegations in accordance with currently active anti-competitive regulations, like the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
Read More