A pricing assessment will be carried out and the reasons for possible increases in the value of socially important goods will be investigated.
Unscheduled inspections began on the basis of requests for price increases in federal networks.
If, as a result of inspections, violations are revealed, then cases will be initiated on the fact of violation of antimonopoly legislation.
In this case, companies can receive a turnover fine of up to 15% of annual revenue, which in 2020 amounted to more than 4 trillion rubles.
At the same time, if a price collusion is revealed, officials can be brought to criminal liability.
If at the end of the check it is concluded that the companies, having received a consignment of goods at the same price, made the same markup on them, as a result of which the final price in the store was also identical, this will become evidence of a cartel conspiracy.
The bottom line is this: most stores in the country have set a single price for the same product, as if depriving the buyer of a choice.
In any case, such checks can last up to three months, and it can take up to a year to sum up the final results.
Representatives of Lenta LLC confirmed receipt of verification notifications, on the basis of which the requested information is provided.
Similar data were provided by X5 Group (retail chains Pyaterochka, Perekrestok, Karusel) and JSC Tander (retail chain Magnit). Although, according to the FAS, the security of the business center prevented FAS employees from entering the premises where the Magnit company is located.
In order for the Federal Antimonopoly Service to form a more accurate picture of the entire chain of movement of goods and price formation at each stage, inspections may also affect suppliers.
According to Mikhail Burmistrov, General Director of Infoline Analytics, the chains are just less interested in raising prices for socially important products than other chain participants, because they affect how the customer perceives the general price level in a particular store.
But the current economic situation: an increase in the cost of products due to an increase in prices for raw materials, packaging, logistics, wages, etc. lead to higher prices from suppliers.
In this regard, the largest retail chains even introduced a moratorium on the revision of purchase prices.
On the other hand, producers are losing profitability due to rising costs and refusal of networks to change prices.
Against the background of incoming reports of unscheduled inspections that have begun GDR X5 on the London Stock Exchange decreased by 0.6% ($ 33.3), Magnit — by 1.27% ($ 14.82) , «Ribbons» — by 0.56% ($ 3.11 per receipt).
Last week, the FAS also began on-site inspections of TsUM and the Mercury Group of Companies, as well as some representative offices of foreign companies for international price fixing on the luxury goods market, including online sales.
