Description

Closed European Commission investigation into the acquisition of iRobot by Amazon

On 29 January 2024, the European Commission closed the investigation into Amazon's proposed acquisition of iRobot following the parties' decision to abandon the transaction. This decision followed the Commission's in-depth investigation and the issuance of a Statement of Objections on 27 November 2023. The investigation preliminarily found that the acquisition would have enabled Amazon to foreclose iRobot's rivals by restricting or degrading access to Amazon Stores. Such foreclosure strategies could have restricted competition in the market for robot vacuum cleaners, potentially leading to higher prices, lower quality, and less innovation for consumers.

Original source

Scope

Policy Area
Competition
Policy Instrument
Merger control regulation
Regulated Economic Activity
platform intermediary: e-commerce, technological consumer goods
Implementation Level
supranational
Government Branch
executive
Government Body
competition authority

Complete timeline of this policy change

Hide details
2023-07-06
under deliberation

On 6 July 2023, the European Commission announced it had opened an in-depth investigation of Amazon…

2023-11-27
under investigation

On 27 November 2023, the European Commission issued its Statement of Objections over the proposed a…

2024-01-29
concluded

On 29 January 2024, the European Commission closed the investigation into Amazon's proposed acquisi…

We use cookies and other technologies to perform analytics on our website. By opting in, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platform. See our Privacy Policy to learn more about the use of data and your rights.