Organic retailers hit with €12.7m fines for coordinated price collusion
France’s competition authority fined Synadis Bio €10m, Greenweez €1.85m, ITM Entreprises €740,000 and Les Comptoirs de la Bio €80,000, totaling €12.7m for a coordinated price collusion scheme. The authority said the group barred stores from selling the same organic brands across specialist and general retailers since 2018.
1. Penalties Imposed by Competition Authority
France’s competition authority concluded that four organic retail associations engaged in a “single, complex and continuous” arrangement to segment branded products. Synadis Bio received the biggest fine of €10m, followed by Greenweez (€1.85m), ITM Entreprises (€740,000) and Les Comptoirs de la Bio (€80,000), totaling €12.7m.
2. Details of Price Collusion Scheme
The regulator found that since 2018 members were contractually required to stock at least 95% of packaged organic items exclusively through specialist outlets. This clause prevented simultaneous sales in supermarkets, limiting consumer price comparisons and keeping retail prices elevated.
3. Market Context and Next Steps
The collusion took place during a period of rapid organic market growth, with sales rising from €3.7bn in 2010 to €13.2bn in 2020 while specialist stores lost share to supermarkets. Groupement Mousquetaires has indicated it will review the decision for a potential appeal, and stakeholders may face increased scrutiny going forward.