Skip Header
Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Amazon fails to offer remedies to EU concerns over iRobot acquisition

(Sharecast News) - Shares in iRobot plunged overnight on Wednesday, after Amazon failed to provide solutions to address concerns raised by EU competition regulators regarding its $1.4bn acquisition of the US domestic robotics giant. The European Commission had set a deadline of Wednesday for Amazon to address its concerns over the proposed acquisition of iRobot, whose most popular product line is the 'Roomba' autonomous vacuum cleaners.

In November, EC competition officials expressed concerns to Amazon that the acquisition might stifle competition within the robot vacuum cleaner market, Reuters reported.

At the time, it invited Amazon to propose remedies to mitigate potential antitrust issues.

According to Reuters, the EC's lawyers did not initially share its concerns, leading to expectations of unconditional EU clearance for the acquisition.

However, the lawyers later withdrew their objections to the statement, aligning with the competition officials' concerns.

The absence of any proposed remedies from Amazon meant there were now two potential outcomes - either unconditional approval from the EC, or a European veto of the acquisition.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.

Share this article

Related Sharecast Articles

Agronomics investee Solar Foods raises EUR 8m
(Sharecast News) - Cellular agriculture investor Agronomics announced on Friday that its portfolio company Solar Foods had raised an additional €8m through Finnish investment organiser Springvest.
Berenberg hikes target price on Greggs
(Sharecast News) - Analysts at Berenberg raised their target price on bakery chain Greggs from 3,550.0p to 3,990.0p on Friday as it noted that customer appeal had broadened as its market share was expanding.
Thousands of UK firms fighting for survival - Begbies Traynor
(Sharecast News) - More than half a million UK business are fighting for survival, according to an industry research published on Friday, weighed down by the weak economy.
Thruvision FY24 adjusted underlying losses widen
(Sharecast News) - Security technology business Thruvision said on Friday that adjusted underlying losses had widened in FY24 as revenues fell.

Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

Award-winning online share dealing

Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.

Expert insights into investing your money

Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.