Retailer Mega Image gets EUR 2 mln fine for incorrect reporting to competition authority

Romania's competition authority Consiliul Concurentei announced that it fined retailer Mega Image RON 10 mln (some EUR 2 mln) for reporting inaccurate average acquisition and sale prices for basic goods such as sunflower oil.

Mega Image said it would challenge the fine. It argued that it was requested to provide a huge amount of data, which it offered in good faith and, anyways, was not aimed at end-users (hence no market manipulation was possible), Economica.net reported.

The competition authority asked the major retailers, as part of a survey, a series of information regarding the average weekly purchase and sale price for certain essential products and found some inconsistencies in the response provided by Mega Image.

For example, in the case of the average monthly price of 1 litre of sunflower oil, from the first part of this year, it turns out that Mega Image had the lowest sale price among the analyzed retailers, at RON 3.69 (EUR 0.75) per litre, a price also displayed in the Price Monitor application maintained by the Competition Council. However, the product was not available in stores at the indicated price.

"By submitting the wrong information, Mega Image has misled the competition authority, but also consumers who use the Food Price Monitor to find out where they can find the lowest prices for the products they want," the Competition Council's statement reads.

The Food Price Monitor is an online application launched by the Competition Council, which allows consumers to find out the prices charged by the main food retailers.

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