Below are just a few examples of our work across a wide range of
industry sectors where we advised:
- acted for client in a five month competition investigation
connected with an acquisition of a business. The Commission gave
final clearance for the acquisition, finding that it had not and
would not lead to a substantial lessening of competition
- a client received a letter from the Office of Fair Trade (OFT)
alleging anti-competitive behaviour via price fixing. This is one
of the most serious offences. We reviewed the client’s re-selling
arrangements and considered market share file without penalties. In
addition, we developed a competition compliance policy with our
client and advised on staff training, definitions and established
whether they were dominant in their market. We responded to the OFT
letter, co-operating throughout the investigation and achieved
closure of the OFT
- a major international telecommunications company when
responding to an extended OFT Competition Act investigation
- the operator of a passenger train franchise in the UK on
competition aspects of regulated network access, commercial
agreements and procurement, competition compliance generally,
advice on the effect of the Enterprise Act and an OFT Competition
Act investigation
- a well-known international publisher on sector dominance
issues
- a distributor in dispute with a manufacturer supplier who
objected to its products being sold by a particular discount
retailer. The manufacturer had threatened to suspend supplies to
our client unless it stopped supplying the discount retailer. We
advised our client on legal rights before a meeting and drafted a
letter to the manufacturer. Full supplies to our client were
re-established who has continued to supply the discount
retailer
- on the structuring of a worldwide development, an IP licensing
arrangement and the impact of EU law for a major manufacturer for
the pharmaceutical industry
- a client on a joint venture company in salad growing with a
Spanish company. There was to be an exclusive agreement to supply
all of the salad grown to our client. We highlighted the potential
anti-competitive nature of the arrangements, and established that a
suitable EU exemption was available and advised on the
arrangements
