BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU antitrust regulators opened on Thursday a full-scale investigation into Amazon’s $1.7 billion proposed acquisition of robot vacuum cleaner maker iRobot, saying the deal may restrict competition in the market for robot vacuum cleaners.
“The Commission will now carry out an in-depth investigation into the effects of the proposed transaction to determine whether its initial competition concerns are confirmed,” the European Commission said.
“The proposed transaction was notified to the Commission on June 1 2023. The Commission now has 90 working days, until November 15 2023, to take a decision. The opening of an in-depth inquiry does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.”
The EU competition enforcer’s decision confirmed a Reuters story last month.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten)
