Belgians 'may be paying too much for favourite beers'

Belgian trade federation Comeos has welcomed the preliminary findings of an EU investigation into an alleged abuse of position by Belgian mega-brewer AB Inbev, the maker of Jupiler, Stella Artois and Leffe.

After a year-long investigation into the Leuven-based brewer, the world's biggest, the European Commission said there was reason to believe that "Belgian consumers may have paid more for their favourite beers" than they should have.

Margrethe Vestager, the European commissioner in charge of competition policy, said there was evidence to suggest that AB Inbev may have prevented Belgian retailers from buying Jupiler and Leffe from France and the Netherlands, where they are cheaper because of stronger competition.

"Such practices would breach EU competition rules, because they deny consumers the benefits of the EU single market – choice and lower prices," she said.

Dominique Michel, chief executive of Comeos, which represents Belgian retailers, said: "Europe is finally saying what we have been condemning for years - that producers control a market by applying artificially inflated prices.

"It appears that retailers in Belgium are forced to pay more for brand-name products than their counterparts in other countries, and that's not limited to beer, with some merchants paying up to 30% more than French or Italian retailers."

AB Inbev said in a statement that it had been working "constructively" with the EU executive since its investigation opened in June 2016 and added that this latest statement from the Commission was not a final ruling.

"As a company, we take the rules seriously," the brewer said. "Integrity and ethics are part of our core values and are embodied in our corporate culture."