Following the statements by the executive director of “Kaufland”, containing unprecedented characterizations of the acts of an independent regulatory body and claims regarding future acts by the independent Bulgarian court, the Commission for Protection of Competition makes the following clarifications:
The antitrust regulator has issued three decisions imposing sanctions for unfair commercial practices against “Kaufland” in 2020, 2025 and 2026. They outline a lasting pattern (recidivism) in the retail chain’s relations with suppliers and Bulgarian producers from 2015 to the present. What the Commission’s findings have in common is the use of the chain’s stronger position when negotiating and applying commercial terms to the detriment of the affected suppliers. The latest proceedings, concluded in May 2026, established that the unfair commercial practices continued even after the previous sanctions had been imposed.
The first case concerns conduct established after July 2015. By Decision No. 689 of 17 September 2020, the CPC imposed a property sanction of BGN 343,417 for abuse of a stronger bargaining position under the Competition Protection Act in force at the time. This was the maximum sanction permitted by law at that time. Regarding the executive director’s public predictions about the outcome of possible court proceedings, the CPC recalls that in 2023 the Supreme Administrative Court definitively upheld the CPC’s 2020 decision and the sanction imposed by it in full.
By a decision of 8 May 2025, the CPC established two violations and imposed two property sanctions of BGN 250,000 each – the maximum amount permitted by law at the time. The decision has been appealed before the Administrative Court – Sofia Region.
In its latest decision, from November 2026, the CPC once again established violations by “Kaufland” and unfair commercial practices in its relations with Bulgarian producers, and imposed three property sanctions totaling EUR 75,653,706. Two of the sanctions amount to 1.58% of the company’s turnover for 2025 (EUR 21,899,757 each), while the third is 2.2% (EUR 31,854,192). The law allows for a sanction of up to 10% for each individual violation, or EUR 150 million for each violation.
The Commission for Protection of Competition issues its decisions entirely on the basis of the law and the evidence gathered in each proceeding. The legality of the decisions of the national competition authority is assessed by the independent Bulgarian court when they are appealed. The CPC respects every company’s right to challenge its acts and present its legal objections through the courts. However, the Commission categorically rejects attempts to exert pressure on the judicial assessment from the strong position of a large international company. The Commission considers that categorical suggestions about the outcome of possible court proceedings could be perceived as an attempt to exert public pressure on the court even before it has examined the dispute. Moreover, contrary to the claims of the executive director of “Kaufland”, the SAC upheld the CPC’s 2020 decision concerning a similar violation, under a similar factual situation and with similar evidence.