AB InBev Fined €200.4 Million for Restricting Cross-Border Beer Sales
Company: Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV
Summary
In May 2019, the European Commission fined Belgian brewer AB InBev €200,409,000 for abusing its dominant position in the Belgian beer market. The Commission found that from February 2009 through October 2016 AB InBev deliberately restricted supermarkets and wholesalers from buying cheaper Jupiler beer in the Netherlands and importing it into Belgium. Measures included changing packaging, limiting supplies to a Dutch wholesaler, conditioning sales of important products, and restricting promotions. The Commission concluded that the strategy maintained higher Belgian prices and infringed EU antitrust rules. Source: European Commission https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/files/document/print/hu/ip_19_2488/IP_19_2488_EN.pdf