Linklaters and Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy have successfully defended client Visa in a claim brought by Sainsbury’s, with Mr Justice Phillips ruling for the first time that interchange fees do not affect competition.
The case which concluded yesterday (30 November) initially saw a number of retailers led by the Arcadia Group claim that fees charged to them each time a customer pays using a credit or debit card breached UK and EU competition law. By the time of the closing submission in February, all claimants had settled except Sainsbury’s, which instructed Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.
