4.9 billion in fees to Coop, Norgesgruppen and Rema – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country

The Norwegian Competition Authority believes that the three major players in the consumer goods industry have engaged in illegal price collusion. According to the inspection, they have shared large amounts of price information with each other, through so-called price hunters. – This is a serious breach of the law, something that reflects the size of the fee, says competition director Tina Søreide. Reitan Retail, which owns Rema 1000, says it will appeal the decision. Coop Noreg also denies breaking the law. Anchor the decision – The practice of checking the price competitors charge for a product has been part of healthy and natural competition at all times, in all industries, says head of business policy at Reitan Retail, Kårstein Eidem Løvaas. Both Reitan Retail and Coop Noreg, for their part, believe that prize winners have had a positive effect on the competition. – Coop Noreg has not participated in an illegal collaboration as the Competition Authority claims, says Philipp Engedal, managing director of Coop Noreg. Soon to be a 7-year investigation For many years, the Norwegian Competition Authority has believed that the competition between the large grocery stores has been too weak, and that this means that prices are higher than they should be. In 2018, the inspectorate campaigned against the big three: Norgesgruppen, which has stores such as Kiwi and Meny, in addition to Coop and Rema 1000. The inspectorate carried out several unannounced inspections, on suspicion of illegal price collusion. Then, as now, the chains said they did not think they had done anything illegal. Notify large fees In December 2020, the Competition Authority notified fees totaling NOK 21 billion to the three major players. This spring, the case took a new turn. Then the inspectorate dropped the most serious accusations against the chains – the accusation that they had made agreements in between with the aim of limiting the competition. The announced fees were greatly reduced – and are ready on Wednesday: Coop receives a fee of NOK 1.3 billion Norgesgruppen one of NOK 2.3 billion Rema one of NOK 1.3 billion Competition Director Søreide states the following during the press conference on Wednesday: – What we have concluded must be perceived as a clear signal to companies in all markets. Collaborations that have something to do with prices and doing things will very quickly become illegal if they can restrict competition. Published 21.08.2024, at 08.32 Updated 21.08.2024, at 09.05



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