Competition Commission’s Investigation into the Supply of Classified Directory Advertising Services - Emerging Thinking - 24 January 2006
Yell Group plc (“Yell”) notes today’s publication by the Competition Commission of its ‘Emerging Thinking’ and its recognition that the Commission has yet to reach any final conclusions.Commenting, John Condron, CEO of Yell, said:
“We find it difficult to recognise the market in which we compete from the one described in the Commission’s ‘Emerging Thinking’. Since the last review, competition has increased and diversified markedly. There has been major new entry into the printed directory space, notably BT, and exponential growth in internet usage.
“The impact of this increasing competition has been to spur Yell into consistently improving its efficiency, customer service and customer value for money. Yell has cut its prices by an average of just under 30% - substantially more than the regulation itself required; and increased its customer numbers by more than 50%.
“Regulation should be about the future, not the past. The Competition Commission is clearly investigating an increasingly competitive marketplace. We will continue to fiercely contest that, in such an environment, regulation is no longer required.”
