The Competition Council announces on Thursday that it has sanctioned the companies SEROM (Samsung Electronics Romania), Dante International S.A. (eMAG), Altex Romania S.R.L. and Flanco Retail S.A with 123 million lei “for participating in an anti-competitive agreement on the market.
Fines
SERoM – 75,441,655 lei
Dante International – 20,311,427 lei
Altex Romania – 21,376,113 lei
Flanco Retail – 6,223,580 lei
The anti-competitive agreement consisted in the fixing of the resale prices of certain products by SEROM and each of its trading partners, namely Altex, Dante and Flanco, which led to the limitation of the ability of the three retailers to independently set their resale prices . Thus, competition at the retail level was restricted, with an effect on consumers, who paid higher prices for certain types of televisions and mobile phones. Televisions and mobile phones are some of the most important electronic and communication products.
The clues that were the basis of the investigation included information received on the Competition Whistleblower Platform, a tool through which infringements of the Competition Law can be brought to the attention of the authorities, anonymously.
The competition law prohibits any agreements between companies and concerted practices that prevent, restrict or distort competition on the Romanian market, especially those that establish purchase or sale prices or any other trading conditions.
The representatives of eMAG (Dante International S.A.) specify, on Thursday, for StartupCafe.ro, that the online trading company pays the fine imposed by the Competition Council. “We collaborated with the Competition Council throughout the investigation and transparently made available to the authorities all the necessary information to clarify the situation. Simultaneously with the payment of the fine, we will continue to focus on providing our customers with value-added services that help them save time and money and provide them with good online experiences,” eMAG representatives told StartupCafe.ro.
In their turn, Samsung Romania retorted that it had taken all steps to comply with the Competition Council’s decision,
“Samsung Electronics Romania has taken note of the decision announced by the Competition Council and has taken all the necessary measures to comply with it. We assure our customers and partners that this decision will not affect the activity of Samsung Electronics Romania. We are committed to continuing to improve our internal policies and procedures and strengthen our compliance program. At the same time, we will continue to innovate and focus on the satisfaction of our consumers, offering products and services of superior quality” – stated Samsung Electronics Romania.