Competition Council Investigates Anti-Competitive Practices in Sports Retail

The Competition Council has launched an investigation into possible anti-competitive agreements on the sports goods market. As part of the investigation, unannounced inspections were carried out in Romania and the Netherlands at the headquarters of Nike European Operations Netherlands B.V. (supplier of Nike products), Sport Time Trade S.R.L. and Sport Vision Trading S.R.L..

The competition authority has indications that the supplier of Nike brand products may have agreed with Sport Time Trade S.R.L., the distributor of these products, intervening in its commercial policy and limiting the customers to whom it could sell sports goods. Under these conditions, each distributor must decide its own commercial strategy, the supplier not having the legal right to impose its customers on it.

The inspection at the headquarters of Nike European Operations Netherlands B.V. was carried out with the support of the Dutch authority, in accordance with the provisions of the Dutch national competition legislation.

“Unannounced inspections are authorized by the Bucharest Court of Appeal and are justified by the need to obtain all the information and documents necessary to clarify the possible anti-competitive practices analyzed. Unannounced inspections represent an important stage in the investigation procedures of possible anti-competitive behavior, their conduct not representing a preliminary ruling regarding the guilt of the companies,” says the Council in a press statement.