Heineken Ordered to Pay $124 Million in Greek Antitrust Case

The Amsterdam District Court ruled on Oct. 21 that Heineken and its Greek subsidiary, Athenian Brewery, must compensate Macedonian Thrace Brewery for losses linked to market conduct between 1998 and 2014. The judgment totals about €111.2 million, including €43.3 million in damages and €67.9 million in accumulated interest, according to legal reporting by MLex.

The decision marks a significant development in a long-running competition dispute involving one of the world’s largest beer producers. It also underscores the potential financial consequences for multinational companies facing civil damages claims after regulatory findings of antitrust violations.

Heineken has rejected the court’s assessment and plans to appeal, arguing that the damages calculation does not adequately reflect the economic conditions affecting the Greek beer industry during the period in question.

According to Reuters, the Dutch brewer disputed the assumptions used to estimate the sales, pricing and profitability that Macedonian Thrace Brewery might have achieved without the anticompetitive conduct.

The company maintained that the rival brewer’s financial claims were unrealistic and that the court’s conclusions required closer examination against historical market data.

The dispute originated in a Greek regulatory investigation that found Athenian Brewery had abused its dominant position in beer production and distribution.

Greece’s competition authority imposed a €31.5 million fine on Athenian Brewery in 2015. The Athens Administrative Court of Appeal subsequently reduced the penalty to €26.7 million in 2017, according to Reuters.

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The findings formed the basis of a separate civil damages action brought by Macedonian Thrace Brewery in the Netherlands, where Heineken is headquartered.

According to Greek law firm Zepos & Yannopoulos, which participated in the litigation on behalf of Macedonian Thrace Brewery, the underlying violations involved exclusive arrangements, loyalty-based discounts and discriminatory commercial practices affecting beer distribution.

The firm said the Amsterdam court held Heineken and Athenian Brewery jointly responsible for the damages, extending liability to the Dutch parent company because of its influence over the subsidiary’s operations.

Macedonian Thrace Brewery welcomed the decision as an important victory in its effort to obtain compensation.

The company’s director of business development, Demetri Chriss, described the judgment as a major milestone after years of litigation, according to Reuters. The Greek brewer maintained that Heineken’s conduct had significantly harmed its business and that the ruling represented a substantial step toward accountability.

The size of the award reflects not only the court’s assessment of lost profits but also the considerable interest accumulated over the years since the alleged harm occurred.

Interest accounts for more than half of the total judgment, illustrating how prolonged competition disputes can generate substantial financial liabilities beyond the original damages.

The ruling also highlights the growing importance of private antitrust enforcement in Europe, where businesses harmed by competition-law violations can pursue compensation separately from fines imposed by regulators.

Source: Business Insurance