The Spanish Antitrust Authority fines € 4 M an olive oil manufacturer and a large retail distributors for retail price maintenance (Aceites)

The Spanish Antitrust Court (Tribunal de Defensa de la Competencia, TDC) has imposed fines of 2 million euros to the SOS-Cuétara group (the largest olive oil manufacturer in Spain), and 2 million euros to be distributed among the main retailers in proportion to their shopping area [1]. The TDC found that the SOS-Cuétara group and the major distributors agreed to set retail prices of the olive oil brands manufactured by SOS-Cuétara above a minimum price, an infringement of Article 1 of the Spanish Competition Law [2] and Article 81 of the EC Treaty. Background Grupo SOS-Cuétara is one of the largest food manufacturers in Spain. It controls more than thirty companies and produced oil, olives, rice, biscuits, vinegar and sauces. In 2001