THE WHAT? A landmark £1 billion damages claim has been filed against Amazon on behalf of UK retailers. The lawsuit, brought by the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) at the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) in London, alleges that Amazon illegally misused retailer data and manipulated the Amazon Buy Box to benefit its own operations and increase its revenues and profits.

THE DETAILS  The claim covers actions from October 2015 to the present, during which Amazon allegedly used non-public data from UK retailers on its marketplace. This data helped Amazon decide on new product entries, pricing, and target consumers, enabling it to compete directly with UK retailers and divert sales to its own products. Amazon’s practices reportedly caused significant financial harm to many small independent retailers in the UK, who were unaware of the misuse of their proprietary data.

THE WHY?  his collective action seeks to address Amazon’s alleged unlawful conduct, which has unfairly disadvantaged UK retailers. By misusing confidential data and manipulating market dynamics, Amazon has inflated its profits at the expense of smaller retailers. The claim aims to secure compensation for the financial losses incurred and to ensure fair market practices in the future, thereby supporting the survival and growth of independent retailers in the UK.