United Kingdom: Cartels, Monopolies

Freight transport M&A showed signs of recovery in Q1 2026, with deal volume rising approximately 5% and capital concentrating in larger strategic transactions. North American activity surged back to pre-Liberation Day levels, while geopolitical risks and structural oversupply continued to reshape buyer strategies and underwriting models across the sector.

Over the past two decades, the value of sports franchises and related assets has skyrocketed, with rapid revenue growth across various commercial streams including the more traditional broadcasting and sponsorship (both now of course more global than ever), to new commercial tie ups and off field year round monetisation of stadia. While the skyrocketing valuations have prompted some commentators to argue that we could be witnessing the formation of a "sports bubble", this does not seem correct to us.

Global cartel fines totaled USD3.3 billion in 2025. This was a significant increase on 2024 (USD602.5 million) and 2023 (USD1.9bn) and represented the highest annual total since 2021 (USD4.0bn).

The UK's Procurement Act 2023 is set to go live on 24 February 2025, representing a real shift in approach for UK public sector buyers, and suppliers seeking to navigate the new rules.

This article highlights the risks of price fixing in commercial agreements, emphasizing the importance of competition law compliance to avoid severe penalties and maintain fair market practices. Training and awareness are crucial to prevent unintentional violations.

Ahead of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is consulting on changes to merger and antitrust enforcement guidance. Proposed updates include expanded merger review powers, extraterritorial information requests, and interim measures.

Almost 10 years after the enactment of EU Directive 2014/104 (‘Damages Directive'), the private enforcement of competition law in the European Union (‘EU') has truly taken off.

One of the most significant areas of change in the Act which is likely to be of particular interest to suppliers to the public and utility sectors is the question of supplier exclusion and debarment.

EU and UK competition law is an often underestimated and misunderstood area of law. However, it very much applies to the hotel sector which in recent years has been subject to increased scrutiny.