Category: Pricing

Office design and fit-out cartel leads to director disqualifications

The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) has secured the disqualification of a number of directors in the aftermath of the fines issued in the office design and fit-out cartel investigation.

In April 2019, fines in the sum of £7m were issued to a number of companies who had been found guilty of breaking vital competition laws. For over a decade, the guilty companies had been engaging in cover bidding, where they were able to artificially inflate the prices of at least 14 contracts. This kind of behaviour can also reduce the quality of services on offer for the consumer as well.

Now, the CMA has taken further action by securing disqualifications for a number of directors who were involved in the cartel activity.

Groundworks supplier investigation: the latest

First published by Author on June 06, 2019 in the following categories: Cartels Industry Price Fixing Price Hikes Pricing and tagged with cartels | cma | investigations | price fixing | pricing

There’s an ongoing groundworks supplier investigation being conducted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), so here’s the latest.

The investigation surrounds suspicions of anti-competitive behaviour in the sector for the supply of groundworks products to the construction industry. The CMA’s investigation is looking into whether any of the key suppliers in the market are breaching important competition laws. If they are found to be acting unethically, they could face substantial fines.

The investigation has been going on for some time now, and a great deal of evidence has been collected and reviewed so far.

Provisional finding in the pharmaceuticals competition investigation

There has been a provisional finding in the pharmaceuticals competition investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) who have been looking into companies for quite some time.

It has been alleged that anti-competitive agreements are in place between four firms in the sector, and the calculated costs to the NHS is terrifying. If the provisional finding is formalised, huge fines could be issued to the alleged offenders involved in the investigation.

The costs of anti-competitive arrangements in the pharmaceutical industry often fall on the NHS, and therefore on the taxpayer, which is why these kinds of investigations are incredibly important.

End of contract alerts to be initiated in the UK

First published by Author on May 15, 2019 in the following categories: Industry Latest Pricing and tagged with incentives | loyalty penalties | pricing

investigation into retail banking competition

We welcome the move to enforce end of contract alerts, which is set to put the consumer firmly back behind the steering wheel when it comes to their contracts for key services.

From February 2020, broadband, phone and TV companies will have to notify their customers when they’re close to the expiry date of their contract. They’ll also have to provide information about pricing and better deals they can offer, as well as clearer information about how to cancel.

The move is aimed to stop consumers aimlessly walking into new contracts and not knowing when their current term has elapsed. This ties in with the loyalty penalty super complaint, and is designed to make sure the consumer is put first.

Provisional finding in the CMA roofing materials investigation

There’s been a provisional finding in the CMA roofing materials investigation that was launched in the summer of 2017, with three major suppliers alleged to be in a cartel.

The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) believes that the three alleged cartel companies have been allocating customers, as well as information sharing and colluding on price. This type of behaviour usually only leads to one thing: bigger profits for the companies, and higher costs for the consumer.

An allegation of a cartel finding is incredibly serious, and the companies at the heart of this investigation could be issued significant fines that can run into the millions.

Short-term car lease market review concludes

First published by Author on April 25, 2019 in the following categories: Advertising Industry Pricing and tagged with advertising | cma | investigations | pricing

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been looking into the short-term car lease market since last year, and the investigations have now come to a head.

Last month, the review into the practises of five major car rental companies came to a conclusion. The review had been conducted by the EU Consumer Protection Co-operation Network, which is coordinated by the CMA. Big-name firms have previously agreed to undertakings, and further changes to online booking processes are now set be made.

The review has been a follow-on from the big 2015 action involving Avis-Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz and Six. Regulators considered that more could still be done to ensure that some EU-facing websites were complaint with important consumer laws.

£7m in fines issued in office fit-out competition case

cma roofing materials sector investigations

A huge £7m in total fines has been issued after five companies have admitted to breaches in the office fit-out competition case.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been investigating the design, construction and fit-out services market since 2017. In July 2018, they decided to continue their probes, and in March this year, fines have been issued and agreed.

The five companies that have admitted to breaches and will be fined are Coriolis, Fourfront, Loop, Oakley and ThirdWay.

Provisional finding in hydrocortisone competition case

There’s been a provisional finding by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the important hydrocortisone competition case, with a Statement of Objections issued.

In the coming weeks, the CMA expect written and oral representations to be made following the Statement of Objections that’s been issued.

The provisional findings of the CMA are incredibly worrying. It all comes down whether the two companies at the heart of the investigation colluded in order to charge higher prices and make bigger profits; all at the expense of our NHS, and our hard-earned tax money.

Court upholds ruling in galvanised steel tanks cartel investigations

First published by Author on March 21, 2019 in the following categories: Cartels Investigations Price Fixing Pricing and tagged with cartels | cma | competition law | price fixing | pricing

The Court of Appeal has upheld a previous ruling obtained by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that’s related to the galvanised steel tanks cartel case.

Supplier Balmoral Tanks were fined £130,000.00 for exchanging competitively-sensitive information with competitors, despite refusing to engage in the main cartel they’d been invited to join. They’d tried to have the ruling overturned in 2017, which failed, and we’re glad to see the Court of Appeal has upheld the initial rulings.

The galvanised steel tanks cartel case has been a huge, long-running investigation involving the CMA. Although Balmoral were not a part of the main cartel, they still infringed vital competition law.

Online hotel booking investigation update

Here’s the latest in the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) online hotel booking investigation that has been focused on consumer law compliance.

The initial investigation was launched back in October 2017, with enforcement action taken in June 2018. It’s an important one given the breadth of the online hotel booking market, and how confusing it can be. Competition in this key sector should always be healthy, and any infringements of the law cannot go unpunished.

We’re pleased to see that the latest developments in the online hotel booking investigation has seen undertakings agreed by numerous parties involved.