The UK’s Office of Fair Trading announced the referral of the completed buyout of eye correction company Ultralase by competitor Optimax to the Competition Commission in what reports say suggests the OFT may have found cause of concern regarding the deal. The deal occurred in November of last year without informing the OFT; it was not until the companies’ merger was undeway that the regulator started probing the buyout. Reports say by the initiation of the review, several Ultralase clinics were already replaced by Optimax clinics. In its review, the OFT found six geographical areas whose competition was threatened by the deal. Reports say the Commission will reach a decision on the deal by January 12 of next year.
Featured News
New York Puts Businesses on Notice for Algorithmic Pricing
Mar 19, 2026 by
CPI
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Expands US Antitrust Team with New Partner Hire
Mar 19, 2026 by
CPI
Mexico Antitrust Authority Fines Oxygen Suppliers Over Exclusive Contracts
Mar 19, 2026 by
CPI
EU Cloud Group Pushes for Halt to Broadcom VMware Changes
Mar 19, 2026 by
CPI
Sen. Blackburn Releases Discussion Draft of Bill to Set Federal ‘Framework’ for AI Policy
Mar 19, 2026 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Data-Driven Competition
Mar 19, 2026 by
CPI
Data-Driven Competition: Implications For Enforcement and Merger Control
Mar 19, 2026 by
Alexandre de Corniere & Greg Taylor
From Tipping to Trustees: Why Data-Driven Markets Require Institutional Design, Not Optimization
Mar 19, 2026 by
Jens Prüfer & Paul de Bijl
Data Barriers to Entry: What We’ve Learned About Spotting Them and What We Still Don’t Know About Solutions
Mar 19, 2026 by
Bruno Carballa-Smichowski
When the Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good: Price Discrimination, Affordability, Precarity and Market Dynamism
Mar 19, 2026 by
Dan Ciuriak