“Kebab prices in Ried keep the Federal Competition Authority busy” was the headline in the Oberösterreichische Nachrichten on February 11th. There was a suspicion that several kebab restaurants in the city of Ried were colluding on prices. The OÖN article was a frequent topic of conversation in Ried this weekend. The reason for the investigation was an article published in January in a Rieder weekly newspaper. It said that the owner of a kebab shop called four of his colleagues. They came to the conclusion that the dishes should each be increased to the same price. After all, the competitors would also have to contend with the exploding costs for electricity and gas.
The Federal Competition Authority (BWB) has now stopped the investigation. The owners of the kebab shops no longer have to fear fines that can amount to up to ten percent of the total turnover. “A total of five catering operators were affected by the suspicion of collusion. Their business premises are only a few minutes’ walk away from each other. It was evident that several types of food were offered at the same price. Kebabs, burgers, pizzas and the like were sometimes priced the same at the catering establishments,” it says in a recent press release from the Federal Competition Authority.
letter of warning sent
“A warning letter was sent to each of the business owners. It was expressly made clear that price agreements, customer and market divisions and the exchange of competition-sensitive information are prohibited under the Cartel Act,” said the BWB in the broadcast.
Source: Nachrichten
