Belgium Ends Carrefour Antitrust Probe on Purchasing Pact (1)

Belgium closed an antitrust probe into Carrefour SA’s 2018 purchasing agreement with rival supermarket chain Provera after the French retailer agreed to separate its buying unit.

• Belgian competition authority comments in emailed statement
• Carrefour is transferring its entire purchasing department to a separate legal entity, Interdis
• Companies will face stricter supervision on information exchanged in buying alliance, any joint negotiations will be strictly financial, each will run independent commercial strategy
• Regulators “will be watchful about effective implementation of these commitments”
• Probe included 2019 raids on offices of Carrefour and Provera
• Provera is purchasing unit for Louis Delhaize group
• Carrefour ...