• UOKiK has initiated five explanatory proceedings regarding the distribution of bicycles and bicycle equipment.

• This applies in particular to such popular brands as Merida, Trek or Cannondale.

• The proceedings are conducted with regard to, not against enterprises.

Competition law prohibits agreements restricting competition by entrepreneurs operating at various levels of trade, for example between a producer, a sole distributor and retailers. Not only price fixing is forbidden. As a rule, it is also illegal to prohibit business partners from selling their products through the Internet or to restrict such sale.

The Office checks whether such practices have been followed by manufacturers and distributors of bicycles and bicycle accessories, namely AMP Polska, Merida Polska, Trek Bicycle Corporation, Cossack and Aspire Sports.

Vacation is about to begin. Many people will most certainly spend their free time riding a bike. Some of them will want to buy new equipment. According to our information, in some cases consumers may have to pay more than under competition conditions or have a limited choice of sellers. We have initiated five proceedings to check it, says the President of UOKiK, Marek Niechciał.

The first proceeding applies to AMP Polska, a distributor of bicycle accessories made by various producers. The company runs its own on-line store and sells products to other retailers. The UOKiK information shows that AMP Polska might have been following the practice of dual pricing, i.e. the practice of making on-line retailers have to pay more for the same products than sellers in traditional stores. AMP Polska might have offered its business partners, who do not have a brick and mortar store and want to sell products only on-line, a separate, less favourable discount system. In addition, it could have prohibited them from selling products on on-line auction sites.

We are also investigating business actions taken by Merida Polska. It is a sole distributor of Merida, a bicycle manufacturer. According to our information, the company may have illegally affected prices that sellers charge at Polish stores. The enterprise might have refused refuse to cooperate with partners who sell bikes on-line at lower prices than those suggested in Merida Polska current offer.

In the next three proceedings, we are examining the practices of the following companies: Trek Bicycle Corporation, Cossack and Aspire Sports (including the Cannondale bikes). The Office suspects that the enterprises may have attempted to restrict on-line sale with regard to distributors who sell their products in both on-line and traditional store. Thus, consumers could lose an opportunity to purchase bicycles on terms favourable to them and at better price.

Such investigation procedures constitute an initial measure undertaken by the Office and are conducted with regards to, not against the enterprises. The body of evidence is currently being collected. 

We would like to remind you about our programme to obtain information from anonymous whistle-blowers, such as former and current employees of companies violating the law.
If you know anything about practices restricting competition, please report them to UOKiK. Contact us at 22 55 60 500 or at the following e-mail address: sygnalista@uokik.gov.pl. All data on the whistle-blower programme can be found at konkurencja.uokik.gov.pl.

Additional information for the media:

UOKiK Press Office
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa, Poland
Phone +48 695 902 088, +48 22 55 60 246
E-mail: biuroprasowe@uokik.gov.pl
Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL