The French Competition Authority has imposed a total of €12,67 million in fines on several players in the organic sector, accused of having organized a price-fixing agreement for over seven years. At the heart of the scheme, the Synadis Bio trade association, which represents companies such as Biocoop, Naturalia, and La Vie Claire, alone received a €10 million penalty.
According to the authority, this strategy consisted of preventing the sale of the same organic products in both specialty stores and conventional supermarkets. The aim was to avoid any direct price comparison between these two channels, which could have driven prices down.
An organized market segmentation
Other players were also penalized for their participation in this agreement. The e-commerce site Greenweez, linked to Carrefour, was fined €1,85 million, while entities within the Intermarché group received smaller fines.
The Competition Authority believes that this market structure has contributed to maintaining higher prices in organic specialty stores, with a difference of up to approximately 30% compared to supermarkets. Some suppliers have even been forced to create separate brands for the same product depending on the sales channel.
Practices deemed contrary to competition
These sanctions aim to put an end to practices deemed anti-competitive and to restore greater transparency for consumers. The Authority reiterates, however, that organic retailers can continue to differentiate themselves, particularly through the quality or standards of their products, but without hindering free price competition.
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