A team of CRA competition economists advised parties to the merger of Hammerson and Grand Central Shopping Centre, two adjoining shopping centers in Birmingham. The CMA cleared the merger unconditionally at Phase 1, finding other retailers in Birmingham City Centre would provide sufficient competitive restraint post-merger. CRA economists provided economic assistance to support the merger, including an analysis of the two-sided (tenants and shoppers) nature of the market and the design of a customer survey.
New vertical merger test
In vertical mergers, antitrust agencies often focus on the merging firms’ incentives to foreclose inputs to rivals when analyzing competitive effects. Less...