Russia looks at tightening retail antitrust laws

Planet Retail 22 November 2007

The Russian Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister Andrei Belousov yesterday said that the ministry will submit for discussion to other government agencies next month a bill to tighten anti-trust laws in the retail sector. Under the bill, the threshold for defining a company as having significant market power would be cut to a 15% share of a market from a 35% share, he said. Companies that have significant market power are subject to regulation by antitrust authorities. The bill will also seek to set up an agency to regulate the retail industry. Additionally, the bill is expected to remove some bureaucratic hurdles hampering the opening of retail outlets, he said.

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