iRobot flies to New York, the EU would agree to the takeover by Amazon

Amazon has just taken a new step in its attempt to buy iRobot. According to Reuters, Amazon is close to obtaining unconditional approval from European Union antitrust authorities for the acquisition of the robot vacuum cleaner manufacturer. An operation worth 1.4 billion dollars.

The European Commission, which must deliver its verdict by February 14, refused to comment on this information. She warned Amazon in July that such a takeover could create a barrier to competition in the robot vacuum cleaner sector and strengthen the American group’s dominant position in the field of online sales.

The reaction is, in any case, immediate on the stock market. On Wall Street, iRobot shares soared by more than 30%. Last June, the British competition authorities had already given their approval to the operation, causing a 20% jump in the stock.

“Roomba” in the air

iRobot makes Roomba vacuums, which clean interiors while you’re away, with some products also capable of mopping floors. All can be operated via a smartphone equipped with the appropriate application. The company also offers a whole range of air purifiers and lawn mowers.

For Amazon, this acquisition is important. It would allow it to strengthen its range of intelligent devices for the home, which already includes, for example, the Alexa voice assistant, intelligent thermostats, security devices (Blink cameras), screen walls or the remote control robot. the appearance of a dog called Astro.

A little over a year ago, Amazon also unveiled, as part of its annual Devices & Services conference, its new Echo connected speakers (Echo Dot and Echo Dot with clock), its “alarm clock-sleep monitor” Halo Rise, compatible with Alexa or its Ring cameras, which uses radar to assess the exact distance of objects (or people) and thus allows alerts to be configured so that they only warn of activity within a given perimeter.