West News Wire: British antitrust officials have begun looking into Amazon’s $1.7 billion acquisition of robot vacuum manufacturer iRobot.
According to a statement released on Thursday, the Competition and Markets Authority is debating whether the merger will “substantially lessen competition” in the UK. The U.K. watchdog first requested feedback on the agreement from “any interested party.”
The Federal Trade Commission is already investigating the acquisition in the United States due to concerns over Amazon’s expanding market dominance. After the deal’s announcement last year, consumer advocacy organizations expressed concern that it would strengthen the e-commerce giant’s position as the market leader for smart homes.
In its evaluation of the deal, Amazon stated it is “cooperating with the relevant regulators.”
Bedford, Massachusetts-based iRobot, which makes the popular Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners, said it “continues to work cooperatively with both the U.S. FTC and other regulatory agencies in their review of the Amazon-iRobot merger.”
