Turkey slaps $61M penalty on Unilever for market abuse

By Aysu Bicer

ANKARA (AA) – The Turkish division of Unilever is being fined some 480 million lira ($61 million) for abusing its commanding position in the ice cream sector, Turkish authorities announced Monday.

Turkey’s Competition Authority said it had completed an investigation into allegations that the multinational violated competition law by creating de facto exclusivity by preventing the sale of rival products at sales points through various practices.

It added the company hindered competition in sales areas 100 square meters (1,076 square feet) or smaller, saying that it tried to dictate the fridge capacity given to products of rival companies.