A PYMNTS Company

Heineken Staff Try To Squash Competition With Threats In Vietnam

By  |  April 25, 2021

Some Heineken employees have been caught demanding that beer distributors not sell competitors’ products, although the company states that this is not its policy.

Beer sellers in Ho Chi Minh City last year complained that Heineken staff had asked them to not put on display or sell products of the Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corporation, such as Saigon Beer and Saigon Chill, according to the Vietnam Competition and Consumer Authority (VCCA).

The staff allegedly threatened that if the seller continued to sell competitors’ products, they would cut support payment of several dozen million Vietnamese dong (US$435.00) a month.

Heineken has stated it did not direct its employees to make such threats. The regulator has demanded that Heineken Vietnam issues a public statement and requires its employees to abide by the nation’s competition rules.

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.