Report anti-competitive business practices
Business: Sale Goods Services Data
Report businesses that you think are acting in an anti-competitive way to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has closed and the CMA deals with anti-competitive business practices.
Fill in the form to report anti-competitive practices and send it to reporting@cma.gsi.gov.uk.
You can also call the CMA to make a report.
CMA enquiries centre
0203 738 6000
Industry authorities
You can report concerns about anti-competitive behaviour in certain sectors to an industry authority. These are:
- Civil Aviation Authority for airports and air traffic services
- Monitor for health services in England
- Utility Regulator for gas, electricity, water and sewerage in Northern Ireland
- Ofcom for television, radio, telephone, postal and internet services
- Ofgem for gas and electricity in England, Wales and Scotland
- Ofwat for water and sewage services in England and Wales
- Office of Rail Regulation for railways in England, Wales and Scotland
Types of anti-competitive behaviour
Anti-competitive agreements can include price-fixing, limiting production to drive up prices, agreeing not to sell to a competitorÂs customers.
These agreements can be formal or informal and may include Âshared understandingsÂ,Âconcerted practices or ‘gentleman’s agreements’ where businesses cooperate or act together.
You should also report businesses that abuse a dominant market position – eg by offering unfair prices to customers or suppliers, refusing to supply, or limiting production.
Report a cartel
A cartel is an agreement between businesses about not competing with each other – eg by price-fixing, bid-rigging, output quotas or restrictions, or market-sharing arrangements. Cartels are usually secret.
CMA cartels hotline
cartelshotline@cma.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone: 0800 085 1664 or 020 3738 6888
You may get a financial reward for information that leads to an investigation.
Read the guide cartels and the Competition Act for more information.
You may be treated with leniency if you report a cartel you’ve been involved with.
Penalties
Businesses may be fined up to 10% of their worldwide turnover if they enter into an anti-competitive agreement or abuse a dominant market position.
You may be fined or sent to prison for up to 5 years if you are involved in cartel activity. Company directors may be disqualified from being a director for up to 15 years.
Unfair agreements between businesses – price-fixing, cartels and reporting unfair practices to the Competition and Mergers Authority (CMA)