CMA consultation on Vertical Agreements Block Exemption Regulation (VABER) - Which? response

Which? welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation. In many markets, the amount of choice that consumers have, the prices they pay and the quality of the products they buy will be fundamentally affected by the design of a new UK VABEO. 

The expiration of the retained VABER on 31 May 2022 provides an opportunity for the CMA to update the UK’s approach to vertical agreements to better reflect the changes in our retail markets. The rapid growth of online markets, including the increased importance of online platforms as marketplaces, means that it is appropriate to revise some of the hardcore restrictions previously in place and, in the case of parity obligations, to introduce a new hardcore restriction. Our responses to specific policy questions are set out below.