Map of letters sent between 2018 and 2023
Published 2 October 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/warning-and-advisory-letter-maps/map-of-letters-sent-between-2018-and-2023
Number of letters sent by the CMA to nation or region
This map shows the number of warning or advisory letters sent by the CMA to businesses located in each nation or region.
We have used the main address of businesses for locating them on the map.
More letters have been sent in darker areas, and fewer letters have been sent in lighter areas.
Some areas of the UK will have received more letters than others because of the number of businesses in each nation or region.
| Nation or region | Letters sent |
|---|---|
| Scotland | 38 |
| Wales | 23 |
| Northern Ireland | 12 |
| South East | 80 |
| London | 78 |
| East of England | 60 |
| South West | 57 |
| North West | 59 |
| West Midlands | 50 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 48 |
| East Midlands | 37 |
| North East | 15 |
Relative number of letters sent by the CMA to nation or region
This map shows the relative number of letters sent by the CMA to businesses in each nation or region, compared to its share of the UK business population (registered within its boundaries).
We have used the main address of businesses for locating them on the map.
If a nation or region has a percentage ratio of letters to businesses (in the final column of the table below) that is greater than 1, more letters have been sent to the area than the proportion of businesses would suggest.
If the percentage ratio of letters is less than 1, fewer letters have been sent than the proportion of businesses would suggest.
English regions are ordered in decreasing order of letters sent.
| Nation or region | Percentage of total letters sent to nation or region | Percentage of UK businesses in nation or region | Percentage ratio of letters to businesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 6.8 | 5.4 | 1.27 |
| Wales | 4.1 | 3.9 | 1.05 |
| Northern Ireland | 2.2 | 2.2 | 0.98 |
| South East | 14.4 | 15.3 | 0.94 |
| London | 14.0 | 18.9 | 0.74 |
| East of England | 10.8 | 10.2 | 1.05 |
| South West | 10.2 | 9.4 | 1.08 |
| North West | 10.6 | 9.8 | 1.08 |
| West Midlands | 9.0 | 8.1 | 1.11 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 8.6 | 7.0 | 1.23 |
| East Midlands | 6.6 | 6.9 | 0.97 |
| North East | 2.7 | 2.8 | 0.96 |
Letters register
You can access our warning and advisory letters register for further details about the warning letters and advisory letters that the CMA has sent to businesses.
Warning and advisory letters explained
We regularly receive complaints or other intelligence about businesses that may be breaking competition law. We are not able to prioritise them all for formal investigation. If we decide not to prioritise a formal investigation, we may send a warning or advisory letter to a business instead.
If a business receives a warning or advisory letter and is later found to have broken competition law in respect of the same or similar conduct as described in the warning or advisory letter, the consequences are potentially serious and can include an increased fine.
In a case involving a lighting business, for example, there was a 35% increase in the penalty calculation because the business failed to act after receiving 2 warning letters concerning resale price maintenance.
CMA advice on how to respond to CMA warning or advisory letters.
CMA enforcement action
In addition to sending warning and advisory letters, the CMA has powers to undertake investigations into businesses where we have reasonable grounds for suspecting a breach of competition law.
Find open or closed cases using the CMA case finder