The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) has intensified its ongoing competition supervision proceedings, launching unannounced on-site inspections at the headquarters of Spar Hungary Kft. and Auchan Hungary Kft. on Monday, April 14.
These latest developments mark escalation in the authority’s investigation into alleged price-fixing practices in Hungary’s retail and beverage sectors.
The investigation, originally initiated in early 2023, targets Maspex Olympos Kft. (Maspex), the Hungarian subsidiary of the Polish-owned Maspex Group and the distributor of popular beverage brands such as Olympos, Kubu, Apenta, Topjoy, and Nestea. The GVH suspects that Maspex may have imposed minimum or fixed resale prices on its trading partners, potentially restricting competition in violation of Hungarian and European Union competition laws.
Evidence gathered during the course of the investigation prompted the GVH to expand the scope of the proceedings to include additional retail chains. Alongside initial subjects Aldi, CBA, Coop, and Tesco, the competition authority has now included Spar and Auchan based on new findings that suggest their possible involvement in the suspected anti-competitive agreements.
The inspections, conducted with prior judicial authorization, were part of the GVH’s standard procedural toolkit to secure relevant documentation and data necessary for the proceedings. The authority emphasized that the inclusion of a company in an investigation does not imply wrongdoing; the purpose of the proceedings is to establish the facts and assess whether a legal violation has occurred.
The case against Maspex stems from a broader sector inquiry concluded in February 2023, in which the GVH examined the beverage purchasing practices of catering establishments across Hungary. The investigation uncovered concerning patterns related to pricing restrictions, which, if confirmed, could amount to serious breaches of both domestic and EU competition regulations.
In parallel to this case (VJ/9/2023), the GVH has also launched new accelerated sector inquiries into the Hungarian markets for milk and dairy products and table eggs, responding to recent price increases and market distortions. Additionally, the authority is examining potential unfair commercial practices in the whole-grain products segment.
Earlier this year, the GVH concluded its sectoral investigation into beverage procurement in the HORECA (hotels, restaurants, cafés) sector. The authority highlighted the role of widespread discount systems and financial incentives offered by large distributors, while cautioning against contractual obligations that may hinder market competition. Notably, the GVH found that explicit exclusivity clauses have largely disappeared from contracts in this sector, and it proposed temporary legislative relief for small-scale establishments facing operational pressures due to economic and energy-related challenges.
