Paris Soir - German antitrust body opens probe against Coca-Cola

NYSE - LSE

CMSC	0.59%	20.602	$
RIO	2.35%	98.094	$
BCE	1.66%	22.88	$
BCC	0.12%	75.397	$
CMSD	0.49%	20.39	$
BTI	0.07%	56.13	$
JRI	0.35%	11.54	$
NGG	1.5%	77.19	$
RBGPF	0%	69.99	$
RELX	0.7%	34.51	$
RYCEF	2.1%	20	$
GSK	0.79%	50.69	$
VOD	0.03%	17.465	$
AZN	0.91%	164.39	$
BP	-0.38%	45.21	$

German antitrust body opens probe against Coca-Cola

ECONOMY 14.11.2023

German antitrust body opens probe against Coca-Cola / Photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL - AFP/File

Germany's antitrust watchdog said Tuesday it was opening a probe into US beverages giant Coca-Cola over rebates for retailers it said could give the company an unfair advantage over competitors.

Text size:

The Federal Cartel Office based in the western city of Bonn said it had initiated "abuse proceedings" against Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Deutschland GmbH, which handles the company's bottling and distribution in Germany.

"There are indications of Coca-Cola possibly restricting the opportunities of other companies to compete based on how it structures its terms offered to German food retailers, in particular its rebate structure," cartel office president Andreas Mundt said in a statement.

"We will now take a closer look at this."

The office will begin by scrutinising whether Coca-Cola has a "dominant position or relative market power" in the soft drinks market in Germany, making it "subject to special competition law rules".

It will examine the terms imposed by Coca-Cola on retail outlets, particularly whether its rebate structure "creates incentives" to buy, display and advertise drinks in the company's product line beyond its signature cola beverage.

Coca-Cola said it would cooperate with the authority but dismissed the accusations as baseless.

"We are convinced that the proven business model of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners in Germany with a balanced programme on pricing and conditions is legally compliant," vice president for legal affairs Andrea Weckwert said in a statement.

Germany's cartel office has launched a number of high-profile cases against US companies in recent years.

Last year it classed Google parent Alphabet as a company of "paramount significance for competition across markets", allowing for closer monitoring for possible abuse of its market position.

Fellow tech behemoths Amazon, Apple and Facebook owner Meta have also been placed under increased scrutiny.

The German Competition Act, which came into force in 2021, gives the cartel office greater powers to clamp down on anti-competitive behaviour by tech giants.

O.Bruneau--PS

Featured

French fishermen block ports over petrol prices

Fishermen on Thursday blocked the entrance to two ports and a petrol depot in southern France in protest at rising fuel prices linked to the US-Iran war.

AtlasClear Holdings Reports Preliminary Fiscal 2026 Revenue of Approximately $20.1 Million, Up 85%; Revenue Plus Interest Income of Approximately $21.9 Million

Stock Locate Fees Grow More Than 20-Fold to Approximately $6.8 Million; Commissions Up Approximately 56%Non-Commission Revenue Lines Now Represent Approximately 54% of Total Revenues, Up From 45% in Fiscal 2025Second Consecutive Year of Positive Net Income; Cash More Than Doubles to Approximately $15.4 Million; Stockholders’ Equity of Approximately $21.1 MillionAtlasClearing Net Capital Up Approximately 28% Year-over-Year to $14.4 MillionSix New Correspondent Broker-Dealers Signed; Revenue from These Relationships Not Yet Reflected in ResultsGrowth Achieved Without At-the-Market or Equity Line Financing; No Dilutive Capital Raise Since October 2025

Micron's Taiwan workers say 68 months' bonus not enough

Hundreds of workers at memory chip giant Micron Technology rallied on Thursday, threatening a strike as they rejected the US company's bonus offer of 68 months' pay as insufficient.

'Another arrow to the quiver': World Bank posts record private capital mobilization

The World Bank announced Thursday that it had mobilized a record $112 billion in private capital for developing countries last financial year, with its chief lauding the approach as "adding another arrow to the quiver" of the world's largest development lender.