Fit-out directors disqualified in fallout from CMA cartel investigation

Three former directors of fit-out specialists have been disqualified for their involvement in illegal cartel behaviour uncovered by the Competition and Markets Authority.

The move follows the CMA’s finding in April that six office fit-out firms broke competition law at least once – and in some cases on multiple occasions – between 2006 and 2017.

Fourfront, Loop, Coriolis, ThirdWay and Oakley were required to pay fines totalling more than £7m for colluding on the prices they would bid for contracts. 

JLL, which owns fit-out firm Bluu Solutions, who was involved in 12 of the 14 instances of cover bidding and was the leader in seven, was not required to pay a fine, under the CMA’s leniency programme.

Loop also received a 25% discount to its fine for coming forward with information about its participation in the cartel behaviour.

Robb Simms-Davies, a former director of Bluu Solutions, has been disqualified for five years.

Trevor Hall, a former director of Cube Interior Solutions, has been disqualified for two years and six months, and Oliver James Hammond, a former director of Area Sq, has been disqualified for two years.

Bluu Solutions is part of the JLL group of companies, while Cube Interior Solutions and Area Sq are part of Fourfront.

All three were directors of their respective companies at the time of the illegal cartel activity.

Simms-Davies contributed to 12 breaches affecting contracts with a total value of more than £13.5m.

Hall and Hammond each contributed to two breaches. The contracts affected by Hammond were worth around £4.3m, while contracts in Hall’s case had a total value of more than £1.2m.

As a former director within the JLL group, Simms-Davies would have been immune from director disqualification but had his protection withdrawn because he did not submit to a voluntary interview with the CMA.