Pingo Doce today guaranteed that a € 20.4 million fine imposed by the Competition Authority for participating in pricing scheme and said that he would “appeal to the court” against this decision.
“Since he strongly disagrees with this decision, which he considers completely unfounded and deeply undeserved in light of the consistent work he is doing to offer the best prices and best promotions to Portuguese consumers on a daily basis, Pingo Doce will challenge this decision in court and use all the means at his disposal to protect his reputation and restore the truth, ”says a note sent to Lusa in the supermarket chain of the Jerónimo Martins group.
On Wednesday, AdC announced more than € 92.8 million in fines on SuperBock, Modelo Continente, Pingo Doce, Auchan, ITMP (Intermarché Portugal) and two individuals for the price fixing scheme.
Also on Wednesday, Super Bock Bebidas also waived the fine imposed by the Competition Authority, ensuring it complies with the law and appeals to the competition court.
The Competition statement explains that “the investigation allowed us to conclude that through contacts established through a common supplier, without the need to communicate directly with each other, the participating companies ensured the agreement of the PVP. [Preço de Venda ao Público] in their supermarkets, in a conspiracy equivalent to the cartel known in antitrust terminology as “spokes and spokes”.
As noted by AdC, this practice eliminates competition and deprives consumers of better pricing options, “providing a higher level of profitability for the entire distribution chain.”
In a note published today, Pingo Doce confirms that “he was notified of the decision in the process taken by the Antimonopoly Office, which resulted in a fine of € 20.4 million.”
Among the various companies targeted, Super Bock Bebidas received the highest fine (€ 33.296 million), followed by Modelo Continente Hipermercados (€ 27.48 million), Pingo Doce (€ 20.362 million), Auchan Retail Portugal (€ 3.463 million) … and ITMP Food (€ 8.265 million).
There are also fines of € 423 and € 113 for two individual Modelo Continente managers.
“In this case, the AdC investigation found that the practice lasted more than 12 years, from 2003 to 2016, and targeted several Super Bock products, including Super Bock, Carlsberg, Cristal and Cheers beer, Vitalis Waters and Água das Stones, and also Somersby cider, ”AdC said.
Competition demanded an “immediate end” of the practice, given that the possibility could not be ruled out that the behavior in question was still ongoing.
