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
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
FTC Withdraws Case Against Microsoft-Activision Merger, Citing Public Interest
May 23, 2025 by
CPI
Charter to Acquire Cox Communications in $35 Billion Deal
May 22, 2025 by
CPI
FTC Targets Media Watchdog Over Alleged Collusion Against Musk’s X
May 22, 2025 by
CPI
FTC Drops Antitrust Case Accusing Pepsi of Squeezing Small Retailers
May 22, 2025 by
CPI
Shein Warns of Higher Costs for French Shoppers Amid EU Fee Proposal
May 22, 2025 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Industrial Policy
May 21, 2025 by
CPI
Industrial Strategy and the Role of Competition – Taking a Business Lens
May 21, 2025 by
Marcus Bokkerink
Industrial Policy, Antitrust, and Economic Growth: Some Observations
May 21, 2025 by
David S. Evans
Bolder by Design: Crafting Pro-Competitive Industrial Policies For Complex Challenges
May 21, 2025 by
Antonio Capobianco & Beatriz Marques
Competition-Friendly Industrial Policy
May 21, 2025 by
Philippe Aghion, Mathias Dewatripont & Patrick Legros