According to the Competition Council’s activity report released Tuesday, the signing of contracts for the installation of draught beer dispensing equipment for an indefinite period and the fact that they do not stipulate the possibility for HoReCa partners to cancel these contracts prevent the latter from choosing other suppliers and offering clients beer brands produced by other brewers.
In order to increase competition on the HoReCa segment, the antitrust watchdog recommends, among others, that contracts allow HoReCa units to unilaterally cancel the agreements regarding draught beer dispensing equipment, with no penalties, that the duration of contracts providing the installation of such equipment be limited to at most five years (with the possibility of extending this period through renegotiation, not tacitly), and that HoReCa operators be allowed to buy the respective equipment (based on prior agreements with brewers) after the five-year period ends, at a residual value.
The report shows that four large brewers jointly own nearly 85-90% of the Romanian beer market. Beside the four brewers which represent international companies (SAB Miller – Ursus, Heineken, Molson Coors – Bergenbier and URBB – Carslberg group), there are also two local producers which set up large production facilities (Romaqua and European Food) and four independent producers with a combined market share below 5% (Bermas Suceava, Martens Galati, Imex Satu Mare, Albrau Onesti).