What does the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection explain?
The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection explained that by using the Allegro platform and ordering products the selection of the shipment pickup location appeared automatically with each purchase, remembering previous preferences. The office indicated that at some point there was a change – a different collection point appeared by default, and the current one was difficult to find.
Therefore, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection is conducting explanatory proceedings regarding possible favoring of own logistics services on the e-commerce platform allegro.pl Allegro, including deliveries to Allegro One Box parcel machines and services of entrepreneurs participating in the Allegro Delivery program. According to the Office, the suspected activities may also put courier companies that are not members of this program in a worse position.
Serious breaches of competition rules
“The suspicions of violating competition rules were so serious that we went to court and we obtained consent to search the Allegro headquarters in Poznań and offices in Warsaw. We have collected extensive and valuable material, which we are currently analyzing thoroughly,” said Tomasz Chróstny, president of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, quoted in the information.
The announcement explained that an entrepreneur who has a dominant position on a given market, it cannot take actions that may harm its competitors, contractors or consumers. “We may be dealing with such a situation in the case of Allegro,” it was noted.
Is Allegro facing antitrust proceedings?
“The explanatory proceedings are conducted in the case, not against specific entrepreneurs. If the collected material confirms the suspicions, The President of the Office will start antitrust proceedings and bring charges against specific entities. Participation in an agreement restricting competition may result in a financial penalty of up to 10%. entrepreneur’s turnover,” it was added.
