Amazon’s purchase of a minority stake in UK food startup Deliveroo faces a British investigation in another sign of mounting antitrust scrutiny of US tech giants. Many were surprised by the CMA’s initial decision to investigate the transaction because the agency doesn’t typically review minority acquisitions. The in-depth investigation comes as competition heats up in the global food delivery market. The likes of Uber Technologies’ Uber Eats platform are going up against a proliferation of apps for a share of the fast-growing sector, while other players are consolidating. Dutch groups Prosus and Takeaway.com have been vying to take over British food delivery firm Just Eat, while Germany’s Delivery Hero in December said it would take control of South Korea’s biggest food delivery app, Woowa Brothers.

Source: The Irish Times December 27, 2019 12:11 UTC