Tuesday, 31st January, the Norwegian Competition Authority conducted a dawn raid at the premises of Ringnes.
– The aim of the investigation is to establish whether or not Ringnes has abused its dominant position. The case involves Ringnes’s operations regarding sale of beer to eateries in Norway, says acting director of investigation, Svenn Gaulen.
A dawn raid is an unannounced inspection that can be carried out if violation of the Competition Act is suspected. A dawn raid is conducted without the consent of the companies subject to the raid, but must be approved by the District Court. This dawn raid has been approved by the court, which allows the authority to seize relevant material.
The fact that the Norwegian Competition Authority has carried out an inspection does not mean that the company is guilty of anti-competitive behavior nor does it prejudge the outcome of the investigation itself.
– We have started analyzing the seized material. It is too early to say how long this process will take, says Gaulen.
The authority does not have further information at this point in the investigation, but the telephone for the press will be operating as normal during ordinary working hours.