Weko halts antitrust lawsuits against Coop

At the beginning of 2021, the Weko secretariat opened a preliminary statement, that is, the preliminary stage of an investigation. This is because Coop has been processing payments for daily purchases of goods to suppliers through Markant since 2021. This has led to higher costs for suppliers, as Weko explained in a statement released Wednesday.

“During the preliminary investigation, there were indications that Coop had a dominant position in certain supply markets for everyday goods. In addition, there were indications of abuse of Coop’s terms and conditions for payment processing of sales with suppliers through Markant,” he wrote.

As a result, Weko Coop recommended that suppliers should be able to process payments for free as they did before 2021. “Coop has decided to implement these recommendations and terminate the Markant contract at the end of 2023. That’s why the Weko secretariat is ending the preliminary investigation.”

Weko refrains from revealing conclusively whether Coop actually has a dominant position and in which supply markets it dominates, and whether Coop is abusing that position. “This should have been clarified as part of an investigation,” the commission continued.

Instead, Weko considered it more convenient and quicker to resolve antitrust issues through “recommendations”. This preliminary statement has nothing to do with the investigation opened in September 2020 against several wholesale and retail companies and Markant. (SDA)

Source :Blick