“Selgros Cash & Carry SRL took notice of the Competition Council’s decision to sanction it alongside other companies on the Romania retail market and firmly rejects it because it is based on no economic analysis whatsoever,” the company’s marketing manager, Daniela Sima, told MEDIAFAX.
Sima also said the antitrust rules cannot be applied without identifying and evaluating the economic realities. Sima added that Selgros expects the watchdog’s motivation in order to take all the necessary legal measures.
Tymbark Maspex Romania, a major player on Romania’s soft drinks market, deems the watchdog’s decision both illegal and ungrounded and said the findings of its investigation report are completely ungrounded.
In a report published in November 2014, Belgian group Delhaize, which owns more than 400 Mega Image stores in Romania, said it would come up with solid proof to reject in court an alleged breach of antitrust rules by Mega Image, within the investigation carried out by the Competition Council on the Rumanian retail market, if the watchdog decided to impose sanctions.
The antirust watchdog has fined retailers Metro, Real, Selgros and Mega Image and 21 of their suppliers a total 154 million lei (some EUR35 million) for price-fixing arrangements between 2005 and 2009.
“The Competition Council has found that shelf prices were not set in accordance with market regulations based on the demand-supply ratio, because the suppliers and retailers in question set a fixed or minimum price. This situation ultimately triggers higher prices for end consumers, because retailers cannot reduce prices below the ceiling agreed upon with suppliers,” the antitrust body said in a statement earlier Tuesday.
End-2014, the watchdog set off a new investigation targeting a potential breach of antitrust legislation by retail chains in Romania such as Auchan Romania SA, Carrefour Romania SA, Romania Hypermarche SA (Cora), Kaufland Romania SCS and their suppliers.