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Belgium charges cigarette makers for exchanging information on prices

Published 01/10/2021, 14:18
Updated 01/10/2021, 14:45
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Lucky Strike cigarettes are seen during the manufacturing process in the British American Tobacco Cigarette Factory (BAT) in Bayreuth, Germany, April 30, 2014. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle/File Photo

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Lucky Strike cigarettes are seen during the manufacturing process in the British American Tobacco Cigarette Factory (BAT) in Bayreuth, Germany, April 30, 2014. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle/File Photo

By Marine Strauss

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) said on Friday it had charged four cigarette companies with breaching competition law by exchanging information of future prices to wholesalers.

The authority said in a statement the companies were subsidiaries of Philip Morris (NYSE:PM), Imperial Brands (LON:IMB), Japan Tobacco and British American Tobacco (LON:BATS), accounting for 90% of cigarette consumption in Belgium.

"The competition prosecutor alleges the existence of anti-competitive practices that lasted for several years and consisted in repeated exchanges of information on their future prices through wholesalers," the BCA said in an emailed statement.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Lucky Strike cigarettes are seen during the manufacturing process in the British American Tobacco Cigarette Factory (BAT) in Bayreuth, Germany, April 30, 2014. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle/File Photo

It said that, through the wholesalers, they received information on the future prices of competitors.

A formal inquiry started in May 2017, followed by raids a month later as part of the investigation.

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