Moscow. 26 April. INTERFAX.RU – The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) issued a warning to the Ozon marketplace, seeing in its actions signs of violation of the law on the protection of competition.
The FAS report states that in 2023 and the first quarter of 2024, the regulator received numerous requests from citizens and entrepreneurs in connection with the actions of the marketplace.
“We are talking about imposing sellers to participate in the “Points for Discounts” service, uncertainty in the conditions for terminating contracts and restrictions on posting contact information for sellers. In addition, Ozon’s actions revealed signs of an unreasonable refusal to conclude contracts – potential sellers were refused without explanation,” – the department reported on Friday.
The FAS indicates that Ozon needs to make changes to the offer and stop practices that contain signs of violation of antimonopoly legislation, in such a way as to prevent the deterioration of conditions for counterparties.
In case of failure to comply with the warning, the FAS will initiate a case for violation of antimonopoly legislation, the regulator warns.
“The view of the antimonopoly authority is necessary to maintain transparent rules in the industry. Therefore, the FAS’s appeal is an important signal for us. We will pay attention to it and study all the requirements. We cooperate with the agency on an ongoing basis and will continue the dialogue to clarify and resolve controversial issues,” – the Ozon press service reported, in turn.
On March 28, 2024, a decree of the Russian government on lifting the moratorium on antimonopoly inspections of IT companies came into force. Moreover, in January (even before the moratorium is lifted – IF) the regulator recognized Wildberries and Ozon as companies occupying a dominant position in the online retail market – together they occupy about 80% of the market.
In early April, the FAS issued a warning to the Wildberries marketplace, also due to signs of violation of antimonopoly laws.
