On Wednesday, the Antitrust Authority announced that it had imposed a total of € 92.8 million in fines on five companies and two individuals against interested individuals and entities “participating in a Public Sale Pricing Scheme (PVP) to the detriment of consumers” …
The penalty follows Notice of Illegality adopted by the Office in March 2019., after which the candidates were given the opportunity “to exercise their right to be heard and protected, which was duly considered and taken into account in the final decision.” An AdC investigation found that “the practice lasted over 12 years from 2003 to 2016 and targeted several Super Bock products, including Super Bock, Carlsberg, Cristal and Cheers beer, Vitalis water and Água das Pedras, and Somersby cider.”
In accordance with message released today The Competition Authority (AdC) estimates that the highest fine, € 33.29 million, went to Super Bock Bebidas of the SuperBock group formerly Unicer.
Modelo Continente Hipermercados (of the Sonae group, which also owns PÚBLICO) is charged with an amount of 27.28 million euros.
The Pingo Doce network, owned by the Jerónimo Martins group, has been charged with 20.36 million euros.
Other sanctioned distribution companies, Auchan (which operated under the Jumbo and Pão de Açúcar brands in Portugal for many years) and ITMP Alimentar (famous for the independent franchise network Intermarché), received smaller fines: 3.46 million and 8.26 million euros. , respectively.
“This decision,” explains in a statement to AdC, “concerns the supermarkets Modelo Continente, Pingo Doce, Auchan and Intermarché, two separate Modelo Continente managers and a common supplier Super Bock,” after the authority concluded that “in As a result of contacts established through as a common supplier, without the need to communicate directly with each other, the participating companies ensured that PVPs in their supermarkets were negotiated in a cartel-equivalent conspiracy. ”
A practice that, as AdC emphasizes, “eliminates competition, deprives consumers of better pricing options, providing higher levels of profitability across the entire distribution chain, including suppliers and supermarket chains.”
In addition to the fine, the AdC “demanded an immediate end to the practice,” now sanctions are imposed, even because “it cannot be ruled out that the conduct being investigated is still ongoing,” admits the Portuguese competition regulator. market.
Super Bock will love
In response to the announcement of the AdC’s decision, beverage maker Super Bock issued a statement with this wording, stating that it “will appeal the decision to the Court of Competition, Regulation and Supervision.” The Danish-controlled Carlsberg group “rejects a decision made” this Wednesday by AdC “that” protects the company “from an accusation that the company considers unfounded.”
“SBB [Super Bock Bebidas] he will use every legal means at his disposal to protect his reputation, values and integrity, “the brewer’s management emphasizes,” on behalf of his 1,200 employees, the wealth he creates for the country, the development and innovation he brings to serve his suppliers, customers and consumers ”.
Sonae “categorically rejects” “illegal” practices.
Sonae also released release, this time to the market through the CMVM website, where he informs investors of the € 27.48 million fine imposed by AdC on its subsidiary Modelo Continente Hipermercados SA.
The group “categorically denies any involvement” of the subsidiary in “any illegal activity to the detriment of consumers” and states that “these charges will be vigorously challenged in court.” The management of the distribution group also emphasizes that “it will use all the means at its disposal to protect and restore justice.”
Updated at 20:40 with feedback from Super Bock Group and Sonae
