The Czech Republic’s Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS) has escalated its regulatory investigation of the domestic brewing industry, executing unannounced dawn raids at a major beer producer over alleged dominance abuse shortly after fining industry giant Pivovary Staropramen.
The recent surprise inspection targeted an undisclosed competitor operating within the on-trade beer sector, which covers direct supply channels to pubs, bars, and restaurants. Antitrust investigators carried out the local raid to verify preliminary evidence and secure internal communications, commercial agreements, and operational records regarding potential breaches of the national Act on the Protection of Competition. Enforcers are examining whether the brewer exploited its market standing to restrict rival access or impose anti-competitive terms on hospitality venues. ÚOHS noted that unannounced inspections serve as early-stage fact-finding tools and do not automatically confirm illegal conduct or guarantee formal administrative proceedings.
The raid comes as ÚOHS actively clamps down on anti-competitive practices across the brewery supply chain. Earlier this year, the competition authority fined Pivovary Staropramen s.r.o., the country’s second-largest beer producer, CZK 6 million (approximately €247,000) for exploiting its buyer power in dealings with raw material suppliers.
In the Staropramen enforcement action, ÚOHS established that the Molson Coors subsidiary abused its significant market power by imposing unfair contractual terms and payment arrangements on upstream agricultural producers under the Significant Market Power Act. Staropramen ultimately utilized a formal settlement procedure, admitting to the statutory violations and agreeing to reform its procurement practices to secure a reduced penalty.
Together, the regulatory actions demonstrate ÚOHS’s dual enforcement strategy across the Czech Republic’s iconic beer market, targeting both upstream supplier exploitation and downstream hospitality venue foreclosure. The watchdog will now analyze the documentation seized during the recent dawn raid to determine whether to initiate formal antitrust proceedings against the unnamed brewer.