CMA fines Amazon for causing 'serious and flagrant issues' in Deliveroo investigation

Issued as two separate fines of £30,000 and £25,000, the CMA has accused Amazon of causing 'serious and flagrant issues' in the watchdog’s investigation by failing to produce 189 documents until after the deadline had passed.

As a result the regulator said it was forced to delay its investigation of Amazon’s purchase of a 16% stake in Deliveroo.

In a statement on its website, the CMA said: “Although Amazon did ultimately provide all of the information required, the CMA considers that Amazon’s behaviour caused unnecessary delays to the CMA’s investigation, with some documents being provided almost two months late within the course of a six-month investigation.

According to the regulator, the fine has been split into two penalties as Amazon failed to provide complete responses to two sets of statutory information requests.

The statutory maximum that the CMA can fine a company for failing to meet a deadline is £30,000.

Responding to the fines, an Amazon spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting regulatory bodies in their work.

"We cooperated fully with the CMA’s inquiry and worked hard to provide large volumes of information in a timely manner.

"All requested documents were provided to the CMA.”

Amazon’s $557m (£423m) investment in Deliveroo was approved by the watchdog last month, 15 months after the deal was first announced.