Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Monday sued to block Coach parent Tapestry's US$8.5 billion deal to buy Michael Kors owner Capri, saying it would eliminate "direct head-to-head competition" between the flagship brands of the two luxury handbag makers.
In a statement, the FTC said the tie-up, which would create a company with about 33,000 employees worldwide, could reduce wages and employee benefits.
"The proposed merger threatens to deprive millions of American consumers of the benefits of Tapestry and Capri's head-to-head competition, which includes competition on price, discounts and promotions, innovation, design, marketing and advertising," the FTC said.
The FTC's rare antitrust challenge against a high-end fashion merger could set a precedent for luxury deal regulation, several antitrust lawyers said.
The U.S. luxury market is highly fragmented with several differentiated brands catering to a wide range of consumers, antitrust experts said, arguing that legacy fashion brands typically face healthy competition from labels launched every year.
"The FTC's decision to sue is surprising because there's no shortage of competition for fashion, apparel and accessories. The commission has latched onto a marketing term - 'accessible luxury' - and treats it like a unique market that exists in a vacuum," said Howard Hogan, chair of the fashion, retail and consumer practice at law firm Gibson Dunn.
U.S. antitrust enforcers issued new merger guidelines in December to encourage fair, open and competitive markets.
Antitrust lawyers noted that the FTC is using a new tactic under the guidelines by arguing that the merger would directly affect hourly workers who may lose out on higher wages due to reduced competition for employees.
"The revised federal merger guidelines outlined that potential effects on labor like lowering wages or work conditions is a basis to challenge a merger, so that is a newer trend. It's not surprising since the agencies announced they'd do that but it is something new to test in court," said Jennifer Lada, litigation attorney at Holland & Knight.
Tapestry had offered to buy Capri in August, hoping to create a U.S. fashion behemoth that could effectively battle bigger European rivals such as Louis Vuitton parent LVMH and potentially get more share in the global luxury market.
But the FTC requested more information from the firms on their deal in November.
"Capri Holdings strongly disagrees with the FTC's decision," the company said in a statement. "The market realities, which the government's challenge ignores, overwhelmingly demonstrate that this transaction will not limit, reduce, or constrain competition."
Tapestry, in a statement, also said "there is no question that this is a pro-competitive, pro-consumer deal and that the FTC fundamentally misunderstands both the marketplace and the way in which consumers shop."
Earlier in April, the companies received regulatory clearance from the European Union and Japan for their deal, that would bring top luxury labels such as Kate Spade and Jimmy Choo under one roof.
While Capri's stock is trading at US$37.96, well below the US$57-per-share Tapestry has offered to pay, most analysts expect the deal to close before Aug. 10, the deadline for the two companies to complete the transaction.
"In our view, we do not believe consumers would be harmed with a combination given the competitive nature of the category and varying degrees of cultural relevance," analysts at TD Cowen wrote in a note earlier in April.
(Reporting by Abigail Summerville in New York, Jasper Ward in Washington and Granth Vanaik in Bengaluru; Editing by David Ljunggren, Shilpi Majumdar and Anirban Sen and Richard Chang)
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.