Former directors of three office fit-out companies disqualified for involvement in illegal cartel behaviour

The bans follow a Competition and Markets Authority investigation, which led to five firms being fined £7m back in March.

Fourfront, Loop, Coriolis, ThirdWay and Oakley were fined after Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. (JLL) brought their conduct to the CMA’s attention under the its leniency programme.

The firms were found to have participated in ‘cover bidding’ in competitive tenders, colluding on the prices they would bid for contracts.

Robb Simms-Davies, a former Director of Bluu Solutions Ltd, Bluuco Ltd and Tetris Projects Ltd, has been disqualified for five years.

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

All three were directors of their respective companies at the time of the illegal cartel activity and contributed to a number of the competition law breaches.

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

Hall and Hammond each contributed to two breaches. In the case of Hammond, the affected contracts were worth over £4.3m. The contracts in the case of Hall had a total value of over £1.2m.

As a former director within the JLL group (Bluu Solutions Ltd, Bluuco Ltd and Tetris Projects Ltd are part of the JLL group of companies), Simms-Davies would have been immune from director disqualification but had his protection withdrawn because he did not submit to a voluntary interview with the CMA.

Contiuous and complete cooperation with the CMA’s investigation is a condition for leniency.

The undertakings disqualify the trio from acting as directors or being involved in the management of any UK company.

The CMA is continuing to investigate whether to seek the disqualification of other individuals in this case.