Competition authorities around the world are increasingly turning their attention to markets which are perceived not to be operating in the best interests of consumers.
Authorities are undertaking investigations of entire market sectors rather than focussing their investigations on the alleged anti-competitive behaviour of the players within those markets.
Market and sector investigations can be very burdensome to the companies involved and can last for a number of years. The outcome of the investigation can have a significant impact on the market participants.
Linklaters' competition team is at the forefront of advising clients on dealing effectively with market and sector investigations. As a result, you can rely on us to:
- assess the strength of your case, identify the key issues and give strategic advice on how to deal with the investigation on an ongoing basis
- advise you on how best to present your arguments to the enforcement agency including drafting submissions and appearing at relevant hearings
- help you to project manage the investigation, including the large volumes of information that will be collated from internal and external sources such as accountants and economists, and - critically - help you manage your budget efficiently
Recent transactions include advising:
- a global mobile telephony operator in a long-running investigation into mobile roaming charges that was ultimately dropped by the European Commission
- a global healthcare company in relation to the dawn raid carried out by the European Commission and the subsequent inquiry into the pharmaceutical sector
- a European energy company in relation to the European Commission inquiry into the energy sector
- a major retail bank on a number of UK market investigations into store card services, personal current accounts in the UK and Northern Ireland and personal protection insurance
