Kaufland Bulgaria Executive Director Mihail Petrov’s comments on nearly EUR 76 million in competition fines drew criticism from the government, politicians, the regulator and trade unions on Thursday. Speaking at the third MORE THAN TRADE forum in Sofia, Petrov said leading specialists in antitrust law had examined the Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) decision. Kaufland “cannot wait to go to court and tear it to shreds with legal arguments”, he said. The forum was organized by the Modern Trade Association.
Petrov also said the company’s 8,800 employees were worried about their jobs.
In a Facebook response, Yes, Bulgaria Co-Chair Ivaylo Mirchev quoted Petrov as saying that if the company went into decline, the collapse of Corporate Commercial Bank (Corpbank) would seem like a “spring breeze” by comparison. Mirchev called the remarks “arrogant and unacceptable” and rejected the suggestion that Kaufland was too big to be sanctioned. Foreign investment and jobs mattered, but no company could use its economic weight as a shield against the law, he said. Management should examine its treatment of Bulgarian producers and respond to the regulator’s findings with evidence and legal arguments.
Mirchev recalled his longstanding criticism of CPC for inaction and political dependence, adding that he would not defend it uncritically. Kaufland had every right to appeal if the sanction was unfounded, he said. “Big business is not above the law, just as CPC is not above judicial review,” Mirchev wrote.
CPC said categorical assertions about the outcome of potential proceedings could be perceived as public pressure on the court before it had examined the dispute. Its decisions rested on the law and the evidence gathered, while their legality was for an independent court to assess on appeal. The regulator recognized companies’ right to challenge its decisions but rejected “attempts to influence judicial assessment from the position of strength of a large international company”. The three fines imposed in November totalled EUR 75,653,706, CPC said. Two were equivalent to 1.58% each of Kaufland’s turnover for 2025 and the third to 2.2%. The statutory ceiling was 10% of turnover per violation, equivalent to EUR 150 million, it added.
CPC also recalled three earlier decisions against Kaufland since 2015 concerning abuse of a stronger bargaining position and unfair trading practices harming Bulgarian producers and suppliers. A BGN 343,417 fine imposed in 2020, the maximum then permitted, had been upheld in full by the Supreme Administrative Court in 2023. Two fines of BGN 250,000 each imposed in May 2025 remained under appeal.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Investments and Industry Alexander Poulev said the government was fighting unfair trading practices, not retail chains. He described Petrov’s tone as arrogant and disrespectful towards the government, institutions and independent regulators. “We as a government will not back down,” Poulev said. The cabinet’s measures addressed market problems, and institutions had to intervene wherever unfair trading practices occurred, he added.
Progressive Bulgaria said on Facebook that no one was stronger than the state when it applied the law to protect citizens. The party accused Petrov of confusing law enforcement with lawlessness through his comparison with Corpbank. “Instead of arguments, we hear threats,” the party wrote, arguing that the remarks reinforced the regulators’ position.
GERB Leader Boyko Borissov criticized both Kaufland and the government, urging them to consider Bulgarian producers, workers and consumers rather than demonstrate their strength at those groups’ expense. “Bulgaria is not the private property of either the government or Kaufland,” Borissov wrote on Facebook. He called warnings of a catastrophe greater than Corpbank’s collapse unacceptable, while questioning whether the government was managing the economy or staging publicity operations. Businesses needed rules rather than political spectacle, he said. Borissov added his party had attracted the investors and created conditions for thousands of jobs, but this did not entitle companies to address the state from a position of strength. “The government must not confuse governing the country with a war against business. And Kaufland must not confuse high turnover with the right to threaten,” he wrote.
The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) voiced serious concern about management’s comments on the possible consequences for the company and its employees. Companies could defend their interests in court, but jobs and workers’ livelihoods must not be used to pressure institutions exercising their lawful powers, it said. CITUB called on Kaufland to guarantee publicly that the fines would not lead to redundancies, pay restrictions or poorer working conditions. It urged employees facing problems with their jobs, pay or labour rights to contact the confederation or its regional branches, offering trade union and legal support.

Kaufland Chief’s Response to Competition Fines Draws Criticism THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-11-12 13:09:00

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