Dutch Court Orders Heineken to Pay €111 Million to Greek Rival Over Subsidiary's Market Abuse: Brewer Says It Will Appeal
Dutch brewer Heineken said on Wednesday, October 21, that a Dutch court had awarded Macedonian Thrace Brewery (MTB) €111 million ($125 million) in damages and interest in a case brought against Heineken's Greek subsidiary Athenian Brewery. Heineken said it disagreed with the court's reasoning and would appeal the decision, which related to Athenian Brewery's conduct in the Greek beer market between 1998 and 2014.
In 2015, Greece's competition watchdog had already fined Athenian Brewery €31.5 million for abuse of its dominant position in the production and distribution of beer. In the follow-up civil case, the Dutch court awarded MTB €43 million in damages and €68 million in accrued interest.
Heineken said MTB's damages claim had not been realistic and that the court had made assumptions about MTB's sales, pricing and profitability in a hypothetical scenario. "Those assumptions should be carefully tested against the available economic evidence and market developments during the relevant period," the brewer said. "We do not believe the damages awarded adequately reflect those considerations." (Compiled from Reuters, Amsterdam, October 21)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Amsterdam 的 Heineken 啤酒厂实景。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons 文件 Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam.jpg，Beko 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0 授权
