The Competition Board (the Board) concluded the preliminary inquiry conducted according to the decision dated 10.08.2023 and numbered 23-37/711-M into the claim that certain undertakings operating as producers/suppliers in bottled water sector violated article 4 of the Act no 4054 on the Protection of Competition (the Act no 4054) by determining the product prices jointly.

The Board took the decision dated 21.09.2023 and numbered 23-45/850-300 that it was not necessary to open an investigation on the undertakings about the claim that they determined bottled water prices jointly.

However, within the scope of the information and documents obtained and observations made during the preliminary inquiry process, the Board took the decision dated 21.09.2023 and numbered 23-45/850-Mİ to make an additional study to eliminate the competitive concerns that emerged under article 4 of the Act no 4054 related to the possibility that certain undertakings operating as producers/suppliers in bottled water sector may set their dealers’ resale prices for the orders they direct to their dealers via mobile apps or call centers.  

Under the scope of the additional study, bottled water producers/suppliers were contacted and information was given about the possible competitive concerns to emerge when bottled water producers/suppliers set the resale price due to the nature of order systems in case the dealers, as independent undertakings, deliver products in the sales made over mobile order apps, online sales platforms and call centers.  

Within this framework, the order system has been built so that dealers will be able to freely determine their prices in the orders they take via mobile apps, online sales platforms and call centers belonging to bottled water producers/suppliers’ own brands and the amendments that are necessary to eliminate competitive concerns have been completed.