Conference on Consumer Goods, Retail, and Antitrust

The Global Competition Review is sponsoring a conference on "Competition Law, Consumer Goods and Retail," to be held in London on March 23, 2010.

According to GCR's conference web site:

The focus of competition regulators on the supply chain and retailing of fast moving consumer goods continues to grow. More enforcement activity at EU and national level is expected. This conference will examine the key areas of concern.

• Information flows - the dangers: supplier/retailer contacts; 'hub and spoke' cartels; information exchange; collaboration to achieve environmental and other policy objectives; trade associations
• The customer/competitor relationship - resale price maintenance; category management, pricing (rebates, over-riders, stocking allowances, delisting)
• Buyer power - nature and sources; buyer alliances; approaches of regulators
• Consolidation: FMCG and retail mergers
• Online distribution and sales restrictions

More information is available here.