French supermarket groups Casino and Intermarche are being investigated under an EU antitrust inquiry over a buying alliance formed five years ago which regulators said could have been used to illegally coordinate their actions.
The move, announced by the European Commission on Monday, November 4, followed dawn raids of the supermarkets in February and May this year.
Casino and Intermarche set up their purchasing alliance in France in 2014, but it was dissolved last year when Casino and France’s Auchan sealed a global buying deal.
Casino announced it would defend itself. “The absence of any anti-competitive agreement, particularly on resale prices, was noted by the market as a whole and by consumers during the period of investigation,” a spokesman said.
Full Content: Europa
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