- The President of the Office has initiated proceedings to clarify whether the manufacturer of floor panels, Decora, entered into an unlawful agreement with the sellers of its products.
- The arrangements could concern the prices of floor panels (vinyl) and accessories for them, e.g. floor underlays and profiles and skirting boards. Entrepreneurs could also divide the sales market for these products among themselves.
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Dangerous products will disappear from the market. UOKiK will take care of that
After receiving the signals and the Office's analysis, I decided to initiate explanatory proceedings and ordered searches, which, with the court's consent and with the assistance of the Police, took place at the premises of four entities. We are currently analyzing the evidence collected. The suspected collusion could mean that consumers and flooring specialists could not buy Decora panels cheaper than the centrally established prices – informed the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, Tomasz Chróstny.
Collusion in the flooring market?
The searches were carried out at the headquarters of four companies – Decora, Decora Trade, Sklepy Komfort and Bel – Pol. The UOKiK suspects that the prices of Decora's products in stores were the same or higher than the catalog prices sent by the company to distributors. Thanks to this practice, Decora was able to discipline its trading partners who did not comply with the established resale prices.
The Office indicated that the sanctions could consist of refusing deliveries or extending the deadlines for their completion. In addition, there could have been agreements to limit the sale of Decora products on some online platforms.
The investigation is ongoing
The explanatory proceedings are conducted in the case, not against specific entrepreneurs. If the collected material confirms suspicions, then the president of the UOKiK will start antitrust proceedings and bring charges against specific entities.
Participation in an agreement restricting competition is punishable by a financial penalty of up to 10 percent of the entrepreneur's turnover. Managers responsible for entering into a collusion are liable to a financial penalty of up to PLN 2 million.
Entrepreneurs and managers who participated in an illegal agreement have a chance to reduce or avoid financial penalties thanks to the leniency program.
