UK regulator probes Amazon’s planned purchase of iRobot

London, Apr. 18 (BNA) Britain’s competition regulator said Tuesday it has launched a “phase one” investigation into Amazon.com Inc’s (AMZN.O) $1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot Corp (IRBT.O), making a broom Rumba.

According to Reuters, the launch of the investigation by the British watchdog comes as antitrust bodies, including those in the United States and the European Union, have become increasingly wary of corporate giants acquiring smaller competitors.

The Amazon-iRobot deal — announced in August last year to expand the company’s stable of smart home devices — is already under review by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Amazon, along with Microsoft (MSFT.O), is currently facing an antitrust investigation in Britain after the telecoms regulator said some aspects of the cloud market, including supplier switching fees, were a cause for concern.

In response to a Reuters request for comment, Amazon said the company is working collaboratively with the relevant regulators in their review of the merger.

An iRobot spokesperson told Reuters that the company has continued to cooperate with both the US Federal Trade Commission and other regulatory agencies.

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it has until June 16 to make its decision on whether the Amazon-iRobot deal will reduce competition in the UK.

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