In case you missed it, the CCRED Excessive Pricing Webinar held on 2 June 2020 is now available on CCRED’s YouTube channel!

You can find updates about upcoming CCRED and Industrial Development Think Tank COVID-19 policy briefs and webinars on our website, CCRED blog and our other social media sites. The discussion continues @CCRED_UJ #ExcessivePricingSA

Background:
Recognising the vulnerability of SMEs in the designated sectors of agro-processing, grocery wholesale & retail, and ecommerce & online services, the new enforcement provisions in the amended Competition Act seek to support and protect them against the abuse of buyer power by dominant firms. On 18 May 2020, the Competition Commission of South Africa released guidelines outlining how cases of buyer power would be screened, interpreted and assessed under the new provisions.

The timing of the release of these guidelines is significant. SMEs are particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and anticompetitive conduct can exacerbate their precarious positions, excluding them from effectively participating in the economy. On the other hand, dominant buyers also require clarity on the new provisions and guidance on what practices could be considered a contravention.

Do the new guidelines go far enough in both supporting SMEs and in providing certainty for dominant firms in the designated sectors? Join CCRED and the Industrial Development Think Tank as we debate these issues with the Competition Commission and economic and legal experts in the field.
Panelists:

Mr Yongama Njisane, Principal Economist and Head of the Technical Committee on Grocery Retail Inquiry, Competition Commission of South Africa
Ms Fatima Maria Fiandeiro – Partner in the Competition and Regulatory Economics practice, Genesis Analytics
Mr Derek Lötter - Co-Head of the Competition Practice, Bowmans
Ms Sha’ista Goga – Director, Acacia Economics and Research Associate, CCRED

Host: Ms Pamela Mondliwa, Senior Researcher, CCRED, University of Johannesburg