The soft drink giant Coca-Cola wants to push through higher prices at Edeka. The food retailer speaks of price gouging and turns on a court. This sees anti-trust behavior at the US group – and orders the delivery. But the dispute is not over yet.
In the dispute between the beverage manufacturer Coca-Cola and the food retailer Edeka over purchase prices, the Hamburg Regional Court has prohibited a delivery stop by Coca-Cola. The manufacturer stopped supplying Germany’s largest grocer last week after Edeka rejected demands for higher prices. Edeka had made it credible that a price increase demanded by Coca-Cola was probably inappropriate, the Hamburg Regional Court said.
By setting the price and enforcing it with the help of a delivery stop, the respondent is abusing a dominant position in the market. This is anti-trust behavior. Coca-Cola must therefore refrain from no longer supplying Edeka under the last agreed conditions until a connection agreement has been concluded. The court limited the temporary injunction (Az. 415 HKO 72/22) to September 30th. According to Edeka, the previously valid contract with Coca-Cola was signed in January 2022.
“This decision is a positive signal for consumers in Germany,” said Edeka. It sets limits to the “price gouging” of some brand-name companies that want to maximize their profits with unjustified demands for price increases. On request, Coca-Cola Germany stated that the court made the decision without a hearing, “so that our arguments could not be incorporated”. Accordingly, an objection has been filed. Both companies signaled their willingness to talk.
