• Covid. Towards the agreement for 10 million masks at 50 cents to pharmacies
  • Coronavirus, how to shop: masks, gels and an eye on envelopes
  • Arcuri: shameful speculation on the masks

Share

May 7, 2020 The Antitrust Authority has launched a pre-preliminary investigation by sending requests for information to numerous operators in the large retailers to acquire data on the trend in retail prices and wholesale purchase prices of basic necessities, detergents, disinfectants and gloves, "in order to identify any phenomena of exploitation of the health emergency based on the increase in these prices". The biggest increases are found in areas not affected by "red zones" or by enhanced measures to contain mobility, the Authority explains, not excluding "speculative phenomena". 

The requests for information, explains the Antitrust in a note, concern over 3,800 points of sale, mainly in central and southern Italy, equal to about 85% of the total surveyed by Nielsen in the provinces concerned.

Specifically, from the preliminary analyzes carried out by the Authority on Istat data, in March 2020, food prices increased compared to the current ones in the previous months differentiated at provincial level. The biggest increases are found in areas not affected by "red zones" or by enhanced measures to contain mobility.

The Authority, continues the note, "considered that it cannot exclude that these greater increases are also due to speculative phenomena".

In fact, "not all the observed increases appear immediately attributable to structural reasons, such as the greater weight of purchases in neighborhood shops, the less competition between stores due to limitations on consumer mobility, the supply-level tensions caused by the sharp increase in the demand for certain goods during the lockdown and by the limitations on production and transport caused by the measures to contain the epidemic ".

The main recipients of requests for information are: Carrefour Italia, MD, Lidl, Eurospin, F.lli Arena, some Conad cooperatives (Conad Sicilia, Conad Nord-Ovest, PAC 2000, Conad Adriatico, as well as Margherita Distribuzione), some cooperatives and masters Franchisor Coop (Unicoop Firenze, Unicoop Tirreno, Coop Centro Italia, Coop Liguria, Novacoop, Coop Alleanza 3.0, Tatò Paride), various Ce.Di. members of SISA (for example SISA Sicily), SIGMA (for example Ce.Di. Sigma Campania) and CRAI (for example CRAI Regina).

Codacons: for some products soaring 200%
The Antitrust Authority "has accepted the complaint presented in recent weeks and has launched an investigation into the trend in retail prices". Codacons said that in an investigation carried out on the wholesale lists of fruit and vegetables revealed "abnormal" increases for some goods, with increases of + 233% for cauliflowers, + 100% for carrots, + 80% for zucchini and broccoli, then passed on to retail prices.

"Just a few weeks ago the Codacons had carried out a monitoring on the trend of food prices, and sent a report to the Antitrust, Nas and Guardia di Finanza asking to take action to ascertain any speculation to the detriment of consumers - explains the president Carlo Rienzi - Thousands of reports from citizens have reported to Codacons sharp increases in price lists at supermarkets and food stores, price increases that do not appear justified by reductions in production or climatic events. Today the Antitrust Authority welcomes our complaint, and it will finally be possible to verify and punish any speculation by those who wanted to make money on the coronavirus emergency ". 

Unc: for families, up to € 220 a year
"Well the Antitrust beacon on prices. Excellent news. Finally, the Antitrust intends to shed light on price speculations. After the procedure on the masks, now reports on disinfectants and gloves, for which, not for nothing, we had asked for prices imposed as for the masks ". Massimiliano Dona, president of the National Consumer Union, said in a note.
"As for the basic necessities, in March, the month covered by the Authority's investigation, we had denounced the worrying rise in food prices, from + 0.3% in February to 1.1% in March, more than three and a half times. A situation that worsened further in April, with a + 2.9%. In terms of cost of living, for a couple with two children, it means having an annual increase of 221 euros for purchases only food, 194 euros for a couple with one child, 161 for an average family "continues Dona.

"Let's not talk about fruit and vegetables. In April, in just one month, according to official Istat data, fresh fruit rose by 3.5% (9.4% on an annual basis), fresh vegetables + 7.1%, flour 1.3%, household cleaning products 1.7%, and this on average, in the face of steady prices in many areas and unacceptable speculation in others, where, taking advantage of the impossibility of the consumer to move, prices have shamefully risen "concludes Dona.