The Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) has imposed financial sanctions totalling EUR 75,653,706 on “Kaufland Bulgaria EOOD & Co.” for engaging in unfair commercial practices against Bulgarian food producers as announced by the regulator’s press office on Monday.
The press office explains that, regarding the first violation, Kaufland demanded that suppliers lower their product prices, leveraging its stronger market position to negotiate terms that disproportionately favoured its own commercial interests. In the second instance, the company unfairly deducted fees from supply prices for services provided by the retail chain to the suppliers. The third violation relates to the delaying and prolongation of negotiations regarding requests from producers for increases in supply prices.
For the first violation, the CPC imposed a sanction of EUR 21,899,757, equivalent to 1.58% of the retail chain’s total turnover for 2025. The second violation resulted in a sanction of EUR 31,854,192, or 2.2% of the previous year’s turnover. For the third violation, a financial sanction of EUR 21,899,757 was imposed, also amounting to 1.58% of the turnover.
The CPC adds that the violations were identified following an investigation lasting more than five months, during which documents and information were requested from and analyzed for both the retail chain and its suppliers. The Commission established that these practices were employed in dealings with specific producers in 2026.
Kaufland Bulgaria categorically rejects the allegations brought by the regulator, as well as the sanctions imposed on the company. The company intends to defend its rights through all available legal avenues before the competent Bulgarian and European institutions as stated in an official position from the company, received by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).
The company characterized the magnitude of the sanction as lacking objective justification and disproportionate when compared to European practice. According to the company, official data from the European Commission indicate that the total value of all fines imposed within the European Union regarding unfair commercial practices between 2022 and 2024 amounts to EUR 41.9 million across 754 cases. The company argues that a single sanction of this scale disregards established European standards of proportionality.
The statement further notes that, under these circumstances, the company will be compelled to entirely re-evaluate its future investments in Bulgaria – investments that include a planned EUR 200 million over the next three years. Kaufland Bulgaria adds that it will also recommend that its parent company, the Schwarz Group, reconsider its own investment plans within the country.

Competition Protection Commission Fines Kaufland Bulgaria EUR 76 Mln for Unfair Commercial Practices THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-11-09 02:03:00

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