(News Bulletin 247) – The European Commission announced on Thursday evening the opening of an in-depth investigation into the proposed takeover of iRobot by Amazon.
In a press release, the European executive explains that its preliminary investigation suggests that the operation could allow Amazon to restrict competition in the market for robot vacuum cleaners.
Brussels recalls that Amazon’s online marketplace is a particularly important channel for the sale of robot vacuum cleaners in several EU Member States.
According to the Commission, Amazon could thus have the ability and the motivation to oust iRobot’s competitors, for example by preventing them from selling robot vacuum cleaners on its marketplace.
According to her, the e-commerce giant could be tempted to favor iRobot’s vacuum cleaners, both for the non-paying results and for the paying results (advertisements) displayed on its site.
The in-depth investigation should enable him to determine whether his initial fears for competition are confirmed.
The title Amazon was indicated down 0.4% Friday in pre-market quotations following this announcement.
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