Credit: Getty Images / Justin Sullivan / Staff

The UK’s competition regulator has cleared Amazon’s $1.7bn acquisition of Roomba vacuum cleaner maker, iRobot Corp. 

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had come to the conclusion that the takeover would not cause any concerns for competition in the UK. 

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According to the CMA, iRobot’s market position is “modest” in the UK, so the threat of competition being affected is low. 

The UK regulator also claimed that data gathered by Roomba robot vacuums would not give Amazon an unfair advantage above other devices. 

“More people are choosing to use ‘smart’ tech in their homes,” Colin Raftery, senior director of Mergers at the CMA, said.

Adding: “That’s why it’s important to ensure tech firms that already benefit from powerful positions aren’t able to use those positions to undermine competitors at the expense of UK consumers and businesses.”

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In a statement from Amazon, a spokesperson said: “We’re pleased with the UK Competition and Markets Authority’s decision and are committed to supporting regulatory bodies in their work.

“We look forward to similar decisions from other regulators soon.”

The news comes after a CMA investigation into the proposed acquisition started in April. The investigation came as Amazon announced it was looking to increase its offerings of smart-home products. 

Research firm GlobalData estimates that the global smart homes market will be worth $75.3bn by 2025, having grown at a annual growth rate of just below 16% from $35.9bn in 2020,

Following the CMA’s decision, iRobot’s shares shot up 12% in pre-market trade. Amazon’s stock was slightly down, Reuters reported.