LONDON: Britain is to investigate Amazon.com’s anticipated takeover of robot vacuum maker iRobot Corp, the country’s competition regulator said on Thursday.
The e-commerce giant’s planned US$1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot, aimed at expanding its stable of smart home devices, is already being reviewed by the US Federal Trade Commission.
Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority said it is also now considering whether the deal could reduce competition in the connected device market. Invitations to comment on the combination are now open, said the CMA.