Turkish tire dealers found guilty of price collusion

Turkish antimonopoly regulator Rekabet Kurumu (RK) announced that as a result of the investigation, violations were identified in the tire market, and fines were imposed on companies involved in production and distribution in this sector. During the investigation, possible cases of concerted actions by competitors regarding price manipulation, exchange of confidential information, pricing in work with dealers, regional restrictions, etc. were studied.

The total amount of administrative fines was 3.634 billion lira (78 million dollars), of which 1.019 billion lira was imposed on Brisa - a joint venture between the Japanese Bridgestone and the Turkish Sabanci holding. Next in terms of the amount of penalties were the divisions of Goodyear and Continental (672 and 397 million lira, respectively), and the local tire company Petlas was also fined (397 million lira). In addition, violators were also recognized, including Hankook, Pirelli, Prometeon Tyre Group, and Michelin.

According to Turkish media, the regulator imposed obligations on companies aimed at preventing indirect exchange of information through dealers, which is believed to be used for concerted pricing. Through this, the RK intends to prevent similar violations in the future and establish fair competition in the tire market.

A system of unique codes will be in effect for all dealers, which will be displayed in price lists and other documentation. In addition, the mailing of messages from manufacturers to trade partners about product prices will only be allowed through a special portal accessible to each dealer. That is, it will be prohibited to report prices orally or in writing in any way other than the established one, and dealers also do not have the right to transfer the corresponding information to other trading companies or manufacturers.

Photo: ticaretgazetesi.com.tr