France fines organic wholesalers for price fixing

France’s antitrust authority has fined four organic food wholesalers a total of €12.7 million ($14.96 million) for participating in a price-fixing scheme that lasted for seven years, according to a statement released on Thursday.

The watchdog found that the companies, including a unit owned by Carrefour SA, operated a “unique, complex and continuous agreement” aimed at preventing price comparison between organic products sold in specialty stores and those in supermarkets, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

The authority said the arrangement restricted competition by separating product brands across different distribution channels, which helped maintain higher prices in organic retail stores.

Among those fined, Synadis Bio received the largest penalty of €10 million, while Carrefour’s Greenweez was fined €1.85 million. ITM Entreprises, which operates Intermarché supermarkets, was ordered to pay €740,000, and Les Comptoirs de la Bio received a fine of €80,000.

The companies involved have not yet commented on the decision and may appeal in court.

The case highlights growing regulatory scrutiny of pricing practices in France’s organic food sector, which expanded rapidly over the past decade but has since faced increased competition from supermarket chains and online platforms such as Amazon.com Inc.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada