The Greek Competition Authority will convene on November 4, 2025, to assess whether PUBLIC RETAIL A.E. has violated national and EU competition laws concerning vertical agreements with its suppliers. This follows a report from the appointed rapporteur.

The investigation is a proactive measure to determine if there are breaches of Article 1 of Law 3959/2011 on the Protection of Free Competition and/or Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) in the markets for: (a) the import/manufacture, wholesale, and retail of school bags, lunch bags, and pencil cases; (b) children's toys, excluding those related to computer and system use; and (c) the import, wholesale, and retail of large/white household electrical appliances.

Preliminary findings indicate that the contract between PUBLIC and certain suppliers includes a 'price protection' clause that may lead to resale price maintenance agreements among the supplier's network members if competitors reduce their prices. This potential violation is believed to have been ongoing since 2017.

The proposed commitments from PUBLIC, which include the removal of the contractual clause, aim to address all aspects of the alleged competition issues in the markets under review. The Competition Authority will evaluate whether these commitments comply with the terms, conditions, and procedures for acceptance of commitments regarding the identified competition concerns.

It is important to note that the recommendation is not binding for the Competition Authority, which will make its decision based on the process data and the views of the parties involved.