PRESS RELEASE

SANCTIONS AMOUNTING TO 13 MILLION TO TWO COMPANIES PROVIDING FOOD SERVICES ON THE MOTORWAY

Two sanctions, for a total of over 13 million euros, were imposed by the Antitrust on the companies “Chef Express” (8.4 million) and “My Chef” (4.9 million) for an anti-competitive agreement on food services along the motorway.  According to the ICA, according to investigations carried out with the help of the Special Market Protection Unit of the Guardia di Finanza, the “card” took place in 16 tenders of the 43 lots for the award of public contracts. In these occasions, “Chef Express” had made 24 million and “My Chef” 11 million.

“The conduct described above – says the text in the measure attached below – are potentially capable of affecting trade between Member States and constitute an infringement of Article 101 of the Consolidated Law on the functioning of the European Union.” With regards to the quantification of the sanction, the Italian Competition Authority notes that it was “a secret horizontal agreement on market-sharing, which is very serious, with the aim of conditioning public tenders and having also had effects on the conditions of the award of tenders.”

The administrative sanction imposed by the Antitrust must be paid within 90 days. There can be an appeal to the Regional Administrative Tribunal (TAR) of Lazio within 60 days from this decision.

Rome, 11 May 2015