The importance of complying with competition law has never been of greater significance to businesses, large and small. In recent weeks, the Office of Fair Trading has punished a number of small pharmacy and home security businesses for participating in illegal cartels, as well as investigating suspected anti-competitive practices of mobility scooter suppliers, hotels and hotel booking sites, manufacturers and retailers of sports bras and Amazon.com. Only last week, a senior executive of a manufacturer of steel water tanks appeared before magistrates charged with the criminal offence of involved in an illegal cartel.
To help businesses understand important forthcoming changes to UK competition law, lawyers from Burges Salmon’s Competition Group are holding a seminar at their Bristol offices on Monday 10 February.
On 1 April, a new UK competition authority will start work, the Competition and Markets Authority, replacing the OFT and Competition Commission, with new investigatory powers and sanctions. Many wide-ranging reforms to the UK competition regime will also take effect impacting on all businesses.
At the seminar, lawyers from Burges Salmon’s Competition Group will be joined by Simon Constantine, who has been appointed as the CMA’s new Director of Competition and Markets policy will discuss the impact on business of these reforms. Simon, presently Assistant Director of Competition Policy at the OFT, played a key role in designing the reforms to the merger control regime, as well as other changes.
The seminar will cover:
- The CMA’s new and enhanced powers to investigate cartels and other anti-competitive behaviour
- The revised criminal cartel offence applicable to individuals
- Changes to how mergers are reviewed
- New powers to investigate markets where competition is not working well
- How businesses should respond to and prepare for the new enforcement landscape
Laura Claydon, head of Burges Salmon’s Competition Group, comments: “This is more than a rebranding exercise. These changes will have significant implications for businesses and individuals across all areas of UK competition law, including merger control, cartels and other anti-competitive behaviour and market investigations.”
Date: Monday 10 February 2014
Venue: One Glass Wharf, Bristol, BS2 0ZX
Timings:
3.30pm – Registration
4.00pm – Seminar commences
5.45pm – Seminar ends followed by drinks and canapés
Audience: The seminar is aimed at:
- · senior business executives in the private and public sectors
- · in-house lawyers
- · others with responsibility for ensuring competition compliance within their organisation.
Should you wish to attend, please confirm with Martin Dawson, Events Co-ordinator, on 0117 307 6995, by email to seminars@burges-salmon.com.