#real-estate

Canada's Competition Bureau is taking legal action against Loblaw and Sobeys' parent company, Empire, to terminate their use of restrictive property controls. The Bureau alleges these clauses in lease agreements unlawfully prevent rival grocers from opening in the same commercial properties, thereby stifling competition, limiting consumer choice, and contributing to higher food prices. This landmark case, filed with the Competition Tribunal, seeks to eliminate these barriers to entry for new and independent grocers. If successful, the move could significantly alter Canada's retail landscape and potentially offer relief to consumers facing high food inflation.

Canada's Competition Bureau has filed a legal application with the Competition Tribunal to halt the use of 'anti-competitive' property controls by Loblaw Companies Limited and Empire Company Limited, the parent of Sobeys. The Bureau alleges the grocery giants use restrictive covenants in their lease agreements to prevent rival supermarkets from opening in proximity to their existing stores, thereby stifling competition and limiting consumer choice. This action seeks to strike down these clauses and promote a more competitive grocery market amid ongoing concerns about high food prices for Canadians.

Canada's Competition Bureau has initiated legal action against major grocers Loblaw and Sobeys, targeting their use of restrictive land agreements known as 'property controls.' The Bureau alleges these clauses, which can prevent rival supermarkets from opening in certain locations for decades, are anti-competitive and contribute to higher food prices by stifling new entrants. This action, filed with the Competition Tribunal, seeks to invalidate these controls, potentially opening up prime real estate to new and independent grocers and fundamentally reshaping Canada's highly concentrated retail food market.

Canada's Competition Bureau is intensifying its investigation into the country's major grocery retailers, including Loblaw and Sobeys, over their use of 'property controls.' These restrictive covenants in real estate agreements can prevent rival supermarkets from opening in nearby locations, potentially for decades. The Bureau argues these practices stifle competition, limit consumer choice, and contribute to high food prices. In a significant move, the agency has sought a court order to compel the grocery giants to produce documents, signaling a serious effort to dismantle what it considers a key barrier to a more competitive market.

The Competition Bureau of Canada has secured court orders compelling major grocery retailers, including Loblaw and Sobeys, to produce documents for an investigation into their use of property controls. The probe examines how restrictive covenants in lease agreements may be used to stifle competition by preventing rival grocers from opening nearby. This action, following the companies' alleged failure to cooperate fully, marks a significant escalation in the Bureau's efforts to address concerns about market concentration and its impact on food prices and consumer choice in Canada's highly consolidated grocery sector.

The Competition Bureau of Canada has launched a formal investigation into the country's largest grocery chains—Loblaw, Sobeys, and Metro—over their use of anti-competitive property controls. The probe focuses on "restrictive covenants" in lease and property agreements that prevent rival grocers from opening stores in certain locations, sometimes for decades. Citing concerns that these practices limit consumer choice and contribute to high food prices, the Bureau is seeking court orders to compel the companies to produce relevant records. This action marks a significant escalation in the government's efforts to address competition in the sector.