LONDON (AP) 鈥 British antitrust regulators have started investigating Amazon's purchase of robot vacuum maker iRobot, adding further scrutiny to the $1.7 billion deal.
The Competition and Markets Authority said Thursday that it's considering whether the deal will result in a 鈥渟ubstantial lessening of competition鈥 within the United Kingdom. In an initial step, the U.K. watchdog invited comments on the deal from 鈥渁ny interested party.鈥
The acquisition is by the Federal Trade Commission amid worries about Amazon's growing market power. Consumer groups had voiced concerns after the deal was announced last year that it would further the e-commerce giant's dominance in the smart home market.
Amazon said it鈥檚 鈥渨orking cooperatively with the relevant regulators in their review of the merger.鈥
Bedford, Massachusetts-based iRobot, which makes the popular Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners, said it 鈥渃ontinues to work cooperatively with both the U.S. FTC and other regulatory agencies in their review of the Amazon-iRobot merger.鈥
