The probes cover purchasing alliances between France’s Auchan, Casino, Germany’s Metro and France’s Schiever on the one hand, and one between Carrefour and Systeme U.The probe on that last alliance was also widened to include the tie-up between Carrefour and Tesco.
The probes will assess “the competitive impact of these purchasing alliances on the markets concerned for suppliers and for consumers,” said the anti-trust body in a statement.Retailers are facing intense price competition in their home markets as well as competition from online players such as Amazon, and many French supermarket retailers have been forming alliances to cut costs and protect margins.Since these alliances are not limited to French retailers and involve the purchase of national brands as well a…