A PYMNTS Company

Greece Fines Coca-Cola-Bottler Over Price-Fixing

By  |  November 6, 2022

Greece’s competition committee announced they would slap The Coca Cola Company’s largest bottler in the country with an unprecedented 10.34 million euro fine, to be imposed on Coca Cola 3E (Tria Epsilon) for violations involving the sale of soft drinks and “non-cola” beverages through on-site consumption points, i.e. eateries, cafes etc.

The fine comes after a complaint, made in 2016, by the Pantelis Kougios ABEE company, charging that the bottler attempted to block competitors from the market on the tourism-laden island of Rhodes and all of the Dodecanese island chain.

The decision and fine was decided by a majority of members of the committee. The move comes in the midst of a turbulent moment for global economies, with high inflation and continuing supply chain issues drawing both public and government eyes to what may be perceived as corporate abuses or price-fixing, which has increased scrutiny of business practices in many jurisdictions.