The Serbian Commission for Protection of Competition has announced that it intends to examine the state of competition in the retail market - in non-specialised stores selling food, beverages and tobacco.
The analysis would focus on the relationship between retailers and their suppliers, as well as the end consumer.
In a statement, the commission explained that, over the past ten years, there has been a significant enlargement of the retail and food distribution sectors, which leads to substantial concentration in the market.
The commission believes that this fact highlights the need to analyse competition conditions and changes in market structure, as well as examine the behaviour of participants in the market that could constitute a violation of competition laws.
The results of this analysis would enable the commission to conduct new checks on significant concentrations of ownership. This would contribute to a better understanding of contractual relationships between suppliers and retail chains, as well as their impact on the state of competition in the market.
The two biggest players in Serbia’s grocery market are Ahold Delhaize (operating stores under the Tempo, Maxi and Shop & Go formats) and Agrokor/Konzum (Idea, Roda and Mercator).
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
