A crate that costs 3.50 euros can bring 365 euros in annual rental income. This was stated by the Chairman of the Consumer Protection Commission Maya Manolova on BNT. According to her, the practice is applied by four large retail chains towards Bulgarian producers of fruit and vegetables.
Manolova explained that suppliers are obliged to use crates provided by companies affiliated with the retail chains. An annual deposit of 3.50 euros is paid for each crate, and with each delivery of produce, a rent of 1 euro excluding VAT, or 1.20 euros including VAT, is paid.
“For each delivery of vegetables to this crate that are sold in retail chains, the producer pays 1 euro in rent“, Manolova said.According to the bill she presented, with daily use, the fee reaches 365 euros per year for one crate. Manolova defined this as an unfair trade practice and said that the expense is subsequently reflected in the price of the products sold.
A report has been filed with the Competition Commission on the case. If a violation is found, the penalty for unfair trade practices can reach up to 10% of the turnover of the relevant retail chain, Manolova pointed out.
One of the chains explained that the crates are transported to Romania for washing and disinfection. “This, of course, is yet to be verified, but, no matter how we look at it, it costs 3.50 euros. The daily rent for one delivery to the store is 1 euro excluding VAT. Excessive“, commented the chairman of the CPC.
The CPC has also issued four penal decrees
In the television interview, Manolova also stated that she had signed four penal decrees worth a total of 110,000 euros for misleading commercial practices. The violations are related to discrepancies between the prices on the labels and the amounts at the cash register, false promotions and limited quantities of promotional goods.
She pointed out that the CPC inspections show higher prices for basic food products in Sofia compared to Vienna and Berlin. Manolova said that in some cases the differences between the delivery and sales price in Bulgaria are significantly greater than those in Germany.
Sources: bntnews.bg, blitz.bg