The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has launched formal investigations into major supermarket chains Rialto SpA (Il Gigante) and MD SpA over alleged “ambush marketing” related to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. The regulator also issued a “moral suasion” warning to SELEX Gruppo Commerciale SpA (Famila) regarding similar advertising tactics. Supported by the Special Antitrust Unit of the Guardia di Finanza, the AGCM alleges these retailers violated Article 10 of Legislative Decree no. 16/2020, which strictly protects Olympic intellectual property. This probe follows a similar recent intervention against fashion brand Harmont & Blaine SpA.
According to the AGCM, the investigations center on specific promotional campaigns launched in early 2026. Rialto SpA utilized the iconic five Olympic rings and winter sports imagery in its “TecnOlimpiadi” campaign to promote household electronics, while MD SpA’s “Start of the Olympic Games MD Edition” allegedly featured the Olympic flame and logo without authorization. SELEX was subjected to a formal “moral suasion” demand to rectify behavior for advertisements that evoked Olympic symbols.
For institutional investors, these proceedings signal heightened regulatory vigilance in the Italian retail sector. Under Italian law, companies found guilty of ambush marketing face administrative sanctions designed to strip the economic benefits gained from the unauthorized association. Furthermore, unauthorized use of International Olympic Committee symbols can lead to secondary litigation from official global sponsors who pay premium fees for exclusivity.
“The protection of Olympic branding is a structural necessity for the financing of the Games,” stated the AGCM in a briefing. The Authority emphasized that unauthorized associations create an unfair competitive advantage that undermines legitimate commercial partnerships. This proactive stance indicates that compliance officers at Italian subsidiaries must strictly vet any marketing collateral referencing the 2026 Games to avoid disruption during peak seasonal sales.