- The penalty is the first issued under the CMA’s new fining powers
- Information notices are often used to gather evidence as part of assessing whether the CMA should open an investigation – it is a legal obligation to comply with such notices, they are not optional
- The CMA has not opened an investigation into whether Euro Car Parks has infringed consumer protection law and no assumption should be made that the business has done so
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued Euro Car Parks with an information notice in July 2025. Despite 7 separate attempts by the CMA to secure a response – including delivery by registered post, by hand, and multiple emails to company directors – Euro Car Parks did not respond to the CMA for 3 months.
Only after the CMA told the company it was proposing to issue a fine did Euro Car Parks respond and begin to provide the necessary information. The company told the CMA they had blocked the CMA’s emails, stating that they believed they were fraudulent, and attempts to scam the firm. The CMA did not consider this a reasonable excuse and imposed the £473,000 penalty against Euro Car Parks in December 2025.
Euro Car Parks also tried to stop the CMA from naming the company, including by applying to the High Court for an injunction. The Court refused that application following a hearing earlier this week.
Information notices are formal demands issued by the CMA that legally require businesses to provide information. They are a key tool for gathering evidence as part of assessing whether an investigation should be launched, and timely responses are critical to ensuring effective action.
At present, the CMA does not have a consumer enforcement case open against Euro Car Parks and no assumption should be made that it has infringed consumer law.
By ignoring the CMA’s notice and failing to respond to its multiple communications, Euro Car Parks delayed the CMA’s work – and caused it to spend extra time and resources to get the requested information.
In light of the seriousness of Euro Car Parks’ failure to respond, the CMA has fined the company 75% of the maximum possible fixed charge – a total of £473,000. Under its enforcement powers, the CMA can issue a fixed penalty of up to 1% of the company’s annual turnover for this type of breach.
The CMA is in the process of analysing the information it has obtained to determine whether a case should be launched.
Hayley Fletcher, Senior Director of Consumer Enforcement, said
We are an evidence-based authority, and information notices are essential tools that help us understand the facts and get to the bottom of potential infringements of the law. It is a legal obligation to comply with them – they are not optional.
This is the first time we’ve used our new powers to fine a company for failing to respond to such a notice – and it sends a clear message firms that don’t reply to our requests or refuse to comply risk facing penalties like this one.
Today’s penalty marks the first use of the CMA’s new fining powers, granted by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA). These powers enable the CMA to take decisive action when businesses fail to comply with legal requests for information, ensuring its work can proceed swiftly and effectively to protect consumers throughout the UK.
This action follows the launch of a major consumer protection drive from the CMA, where it opened 8 investigations into online pricing and advertising tactics across a range of sectors. This forms part of the CMA’s strategic objective to champion consumers by protecting them from harm and helping businesses to do the right thing.
For more information, visit the CMA decision page.
Notes to editors
- Euro Car Parks Limited is the full legal name of the business. In the body of this press notice, the company is referred to as Euro Car Parks.
- The penalty relates solely to Euro Car Parks’ failure to respond to a legal information notice. It does not concern any alleged infringement of consumer protection law.
- The penalty has been issued under Schedule 5 Consumer Rights Act 2015 (as amended by the DMCCA 2024), which allows the CMA to fine businesses for failing to comply with information requests. The maximum penalties the CMA can impose for this failure are a fixed sum of £30,000 or (if higher) 1% of the business’ turnover and/or a daily penalty of £15,000 of (if higher) 5% of the business’ daily turnover. It is separate from the CMA’s powers to fine for substantive consumer law infringements.
- Information notices can require businesses to provide a wide range of information, such as copies of emails, meeting notes, or details about internal roles and responsibilities.
- The CMA collects payments on behalf of HM Treasury relating to penalties imposed by the CMA. All payments collected are transferred to HMT’s Consolidated Fund.
- Euro Car Parks Limited has appealed the CMA’s decision to the High Court. The fine is not payable until this appeal is determined or withdrawn, unless the court orders otherwise.
- For media enquiries, contact the CMA press office on 020 3738 6460 or [email protected].
