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South Africa: Antitrust body dismisses Massmart’s antitrust complaint

By  |  February 13, 2018

On Tuesday, February 13, the South African Competition Tribunal dismissed a complaint brought by Massmart accusing grocery retailers of anticompetitive behavior, saying the unit of Wal-Mart had failed to present a strong case.

The decision is a blow for Massmart’s ambitions to expand further into the grocery market, which is dominated by industry giants such discounter Shoprite and upmarket retailer Woolworths.

The company lodged the complaint in 2014, saying its expansion into the fresh grocery sector was being hampered by lease arrangements that restricted malls from renting out space to rival food retailers.

The tribunal upheld, for the second time, arguments made by retailers Shoprite Checkers, Pick n Pay and Spar and found that Massmart had failed to make a strong case of anticompetitive conduct.

Full Content: Reuters

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