The Secretary of Commerce fined Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes more than $389 million. It is due to failure to comply with sanctions and fines previous, in the context of an investigation into abuse of a dominant position. All this takes place in the midst of the Government’s offensive due to the shortage of Fair Prices and the evident nervousness caused by the escalation of inflation.

The resolution of the National Commission for the Defense of Competition (CNDC), which reports to the Secretary of Commerce Matías Tombolini, points out that the brewery is not complying with the corrective measures previously imposed and therefore new sanctions have been presented.

In August 2021, the then Ministry of Internal Trade fined the brewery for 150 million dollars for abuse of dominant position exclusive type.

Although the company has challenged the fine, the resolution of the Defense of Competition provides that the ordered measures can be challenged with non-suspension effectwhich means that the company must comply with the rule until the competent court resolves the appeal.

From the CNDC, they specified that it has been verified “the brewery actually failed to comply with the corrective measures”.

These are behaviors that lead to competitors leaving the market and blocking new players, weakening competition, which gives rise to a “Anticompetitive Market Closure”.

As a result, the Secretary of Commerce, at the request of the CNDC, imposed a fine of 11,467 mobile units per day from September 9, 2021 inclusive to April 6, 2022 inclusive, for a total of 2,396,603 mobile units. This equals $389,567,817.65.

To determine the amount of the fine, the value of the “mobile units” is taken into account, the objective of which is to prevent the fine imposed from liquefying over time. The Ministry of Commerce updated the value of the mobile unit to $162.55 this year.

Check for fair prices

In recent weeks and in the midst of a price increase, the Ministry of Commerce has multiplied checks and it enforced 770 fines worth $806 million for alleged violations of the Fair Prices program.

These controls have led to the closure of some supermarket branches for “missing goods and stock”.

The escalation of inflation which rose to 6% in January, which contrasts with 5.1% in December and 4.9% the previous month; and that an even higher number is expected for the month of March has led to an intensification of government supervision of large-scale distribution, the most representative channel of the Fair Price.

According to Commerce, in the different inspections “infractions relating to missing goods and stocks have been recorded”Especially inside “perfumery, personal care, cleaning, oils, tuna, flour, grass and noodles”.

Weeks ago, Tombolini posted a video on his Twitter account with images of the various operations carried out. “The state has done its part, that’s why anyone who doesn’t comply receives a sanction. Rewards and punishments, that’s what an agreement is,” Tombolini tweeted, referring to the operation at the Jumbo branch.

NS