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The
Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had concluded
that the deal would not lead to competition concerns in the UK.
"We're pleased with the UK Competition and Markets Authority's
decision and are committed to supporting regulatory bodies in
their work," a spokesperson for Amazon said.
"We look forward to similar decisions from other regulators
soon."
In April, the CMA had launched a "Phase 1" probe into the deal
which was announced in August last year as Amazon sought to
expand its stable of smart-home devices, which include the Alexa
voice assistant, smart thermostats, security devices, wall
mounted smart displays and a canine-like robot called Astro.
Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic are wary of Big Tech
acquiring smaller rivals, especially those with access to big
volumes of user data, and tend to demand remedies in return for
approving such deals.
"It marks a significant milestone, and both companies are
continuing to work cooperatively with other relevant regulators
in their review of the merger," iRobot Chief Executive Colin
Angle said in a statement.
The news sent shares in U.S-listed iRobot up 12% in pre-market
trade, while Amazon's stock was marginally down.
EU antitrust regulators will decide by July 6 whether to clear
the deal, while the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is also
examining the acquisition.
(Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; editing by Devika
Syamnath and Jason Neely)
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