Finance
Amazon refused permission to appeal go-ahead for UK lawsuits from retailers, consumers
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 26, 2026
1 min readLast updated: February 26, 2026
Quick Summary
The Court of Appeal refused Amazon permission to challenge CAT certification of two UK collective actions over its Buy Box. Retailer and consumer claims, led by Andreas Stephan and Robert Hammond, seek up to £4bn in damages.
UK Court Blocks Amazon Appeal Over Retailer and Consumer Class Actions
UK Class Actions Against Amazon: Status and Parties
LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Amazon on Thursday lost its latest bid to try and throw out two mass lawsuits from retailers and consumers worth up to 4 billion pounds ($5.41 billion) for allegedly abusing its dominant position.
Retailers' Collective Claim
Andreas Stephan, a competition law academic, brought one of the cases on behalf of over 200,000 third-party retailers, worth up to 2.7 billion pounds.
Consumers' Collective Claim
Consumer advocate Robert Hammond separately brought a case valued at up to 1.3 billion pounds on behalf of millions of Amazon customers.
Appeal Outcome and Next Steps
The Competition Appeal Tribunal last year certified both cases to proceed and Amazon was refused permission to appeal against that decision by the Court of Appeal on Thursday.
Claim Values and Exchange Rate
($1 = 0.7390 pounds)
Reporting and Editing Credits
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by William James)
Key Takeaways
- •UK Court of Appeal refused Amazon permission to appeal certification.
- •Two collective actions proceed: retailers (£2.7bn) and consumers (£1.3bn).
- •Claims allege Amazon abused dominance via Buy Box self-preferencing and FBA favoritism.
- •Cases are led by Andreas Stephan (retailers) and Robert Hammond (consumers).
- •Both actions were certified by the Competition Appeal Tribunal on an opt-out basis.
Frequently Asked Questions about Amazon refused permission to appeal go-ahead for UK lawsuits from retailers, consumers
1What is the main topic?
Amazon was refused permission by the UK Court of Appeal to challenge the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s certification of two antitrust collective actions brought by retailers and consumers.
2Who is bringing the UK lawsuits against Amazon?
Competition law academic Andreas Stephan represents over 200,000 third‑party retailers, and consumer advocate Robert Hammond represents millions of UK consumers.
3How much are the claims worth and what are the allegations?
The combined value is up to £4 billion. The suits allege Amazon abused a dominant position by self‑preferencing offers in the Buy Box and favoring sellers using its Fulfilment by Amazon service.
