Argentina: CNDC probes supermarkets over downstream gouging

After conducting a study on the sector earlier this year, Argentina’s National Commission for the Defense of Competition (CNDC) decided last week that there was enough evidence to begin an investigation into supermarkets for possible anticompetitive behaviors, in particular with regard to suppliers.

When asked about this, Juan Vasco Martínez, director of the United Supermarkets Association (ASU), responded: “We are absolutely calm because we do not participate in any of these behaviors.”

The CNDC has not yet summoned the supermarket chains’ representatives. News of the allegations seemed to come as a surprise to many in the sector. “If there is a sector that is not cartelized, it is that of the ‘super’. It is a sector that, although it seems strange, is also losing money.” Food prices have risen, yes, but for other reasons.

The decision to start the supermarket investigation was made after studies of different consumer staples — such as dairy products and oils, among others — triggered alerts of possible anti-competitive behavior.

Full Content: La Nación

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