January 1990 Trade Secretary Nicholas Ridley announced that Kingfisher's bid had been referred to the MMC. He said that the combined market share would have been just under 25% but would have been four times larger than its nearest competitor, Rumbelows. For some products, including personal stereos, microwave ovens and dishwashers, the market share rose to between 30% and 40%. Ridley said that in the out-of-town sector, the combined group would control 70–80% of the market. There was also concern that the combined group's buying power "would allow it to gain substantial discounts from manufacturers but the lack of competition would mean it would not be under pressure to pass discounts on to the consumer." On 4 May 1990, the independent market research group Verdict published a report warning that the proposed merger would lead to higher prices and that the dominant position of the combined group would result in the public paying "for the strategic errors made by Britain's leading electrical retailers in the 1980s." The MMC blocked the merger in May 1990. Recession and consumer crisis (1990–1997) In November 1990, following the merger of British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) and Sky Television to form BSkyB, Comet issued a High Court writ seeking £10 million in damages from BSkyB for breach of contract. Comet alleged that it had a contract with BSB to supply BSB's satellite dishes and receiving equipment – of which Comet had already sold 17,000 units, with several thousand still in stock – which were now obsolete as Sky's equipment, which retailed for £100 less, was being used for all future customers. In January 1995, market analysts began sounding warnings over the viability of Comet and its sister group Woolworths. Comet had made strategic errors with its home computer business, and its decision to stop selling computer games had allowed competitors to corner the market. Trading at a loss, and with considerable leasehold commitments, analysts suggested that both Comet and Woolworths, with "weak retail strategies" of "cheap and cheerful", might be sold by Kingfisher. Kingfisher's chairman Sir Geoff Mulcahy, described their performance as "unsatisfactory" and said "We have got two problem areas, Woolworths and Comet." John Richardson, an analyst at NatWest bank, warned that "very substantial rationalisation and reorganisation" was required at Comet. By April 1996, Dixons controlled a market share three times larger than Comet's. In October 1996, Kingfisher bought out the struggling electrical retailer NORWEB