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Competition watchdog blocks DAA’s car-park buy

The competition watchdog has blocked the DAA’s proposed acquisition of the site of the former QuickPark car park on the Swords Road in Dublin.

The State-owned airports operator had been seeking to buy the site from property developer Gerry Gannon.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) announced last year that it had decided to hold an in-depth investigation into the proposed deal.

90% share

It said yesterday (21 March) that it was blocking the deal due to concerns that it would lead to higher prices and lower service quality for consumers.

The watchdog’s probe found that, if the purchase were to go ahead, DAA would control over 90% of the car parking spaces serving Dublin Airport.

The CCPC said that, in the past, DAA had responded to competition from QuickPark to win business, but that this would not happen if it bought the car park.

The commission also described the car park as “an attractive and viable business opportunity” for alternative purchasers.

“Our investigation found that this deal would eliminate DAA’s only significant competitor for public car parking serving Dublin Airport, and result in DAA essentially having a near monopoly,” said CCPC chair Brian McHugh.

“This would be likely to lead to higher prices for consumers, because DAA would not have to compete to win car parking customers,” he added.