This one wasn't at the Hallenstadion
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Switzerland’s competition watchdog Comco is to investigate the five-year agreement, which came into force early 2009, between the country’s largest ticket-seller, Ticketron, and the Hallenstadion Zurich (AGH), one of its biggest concert venues. Comco will look into the details of the agreement which obliges the organizers of events at the Hallenstadion to offer least 50 percent of the tickets for sale through Ticketcorner.
Ticketcorner has been in the sights of the Federal Competition Commission before. In 2006, after an appeal, it was absolved of monopolistic behaviour.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland’s Competition Commission (ComCo) wants credit card companies to reduce interchange fees in the hope that overall fees will come down for users. The provisional measure is set to bring Swiss fees in line with those in European Union, and comes into force in February, Comco announced 28 January.
The interchange fee is paid to the card issuer by the acquirer, generally a bank that concludes a contract with a business that accepts credit cards from its customers. The fees are included in the merchant’s overall fees, and passed on to the customer.
Comco Chairman to step down
© 2009 Swisscom
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swisscom has been handed a fine for CHF 219 million for alleged anti-competitive behaviour in its DSL business until 2007. The company says it will appeal the decision by the federal Competition Commission (ComCo) 5 November, arguing that Swiss consumers have ample choice in the supply of DSL service.
ComCo had argued that Swisscom, the dominant market operator and owner of most of the infrastructure, set the price it charged to its competitors too close to what it charged its customers, thus squeezing out its competitors.
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Biel/Bienne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swatch Group, which owns the parts-making company ETA Manufacture Horlogère SA, has responded publicly with dismay to news of a new Comco investigation into the impact of its dominant position in the market.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Comco, the Swiss Competition Commission, has agreed to look into the price discussions held by Ascopa, the main cosmetics and perfume industry association, whose members include Chanel SA Geneva, Clarins SA, L’Oréal Produits de Luxe Suisse SA, Parfums Christian Dior AG and Coty (Schweiz) AG.
A complaint was filed about price discussions held within the association and Comco will now investigate to see if the discussions have resulted in price-fixing.
Bern, Switzerland (Le Temps, Fre) – Patrick Krauskopf, vice-director of the Comco, Switzerland’s competition commission, has told his associates he will be leaving the post he’s held for the past 10 years, according to Willy Boder of Le Temps, who interviewed him Wednesday evening about how the commission works.
Swisscom, which announced 20 March it was buying The Phone House’s Swiss branches, has been told to slow down by Comco, the competition watchdog, reversing an earlier decision. The government has concluded that since The Phone House also sells Swisscom products, such as DSL subscriptions, Comco should take a closer look. Swisscom has been notified that it must suspend all activity linked to the deal. The telecommunications giant says it plans to submit its plans to Comco in the next few days.
Photo reproduced by permission, Swisscom
Bern, Switzerland (TSR, Fre) – Comco, the competition watchdog in Switzerland, is taking a closer look at supermarket chain Migros’s purchase of Denner in January . A preliminary study raised questions about suppliers but also about whether the disappearance of the country’s third supermarket chain will create hurdles that are too high for any other company trying to enter the market.
