Amazon Must Promise to Rank iRobot Rivals Fairly, EU Watchdog Warns
- EU recently sent statement of objections over $1.4 billion buy
- Acting commissioner Reynders suggests way forward for approval
The iRobot headquarters in Bedford, Massachusetts.
Photographer: Sophie Park/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Amazon.com Inc. must pledge to fairly rank rival robot vacuum cleaners sold on its online marketplace if it is to secure European Union approval for its $1.4 billion buyout of Roomba maker iRobot Corp., the bloc’s interim competition chief Didier Reynders warned.
His comments follow last week’s move by the European Commission to issue a formal statement of objections cataloging potential reasons to block the deal unless Amazon comes up with an offer to fix them.