Turkish competition watchdog clears Coca-Cola

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

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The Turkish Competition Authority has said Coca-Cola did not violate any market competition rules as alleged in a recent complaint, the watchdog announced in a statement on March 9.

The authority also decided not to impose any monetary fines on the company.

The Turkish Competition Authority had opened an investigation into Coca-Cola’s alleged exclusivity agreements with its sales points in Turkey after receiving a complaint.

According to the watchdog’s statement, the authority reviewed its preliminary inquiry during its meeting on Feb. 26, 2014, on a complaint that the company had exclusivity agreements with sales points in some of Turkey’s largest cities, including Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Bursa and Antalya.

“As a result of the discussion of the contents of the investigation filed by the competition board on March 3 … It was decided the company did not violate competition rules; so it was not necessary to impose administrative fines,” the statement said.