TORONTO – JULY 24, 2024 – The Liquor Control Board of Ontario’s (LCBO) sudden decision in 2023 to penalize suppliers for non-compliance with contradictory pricing policies has led to an unavoidable legal challenge from the makers of familiar brands such as Crown Royal, Canadian Club, JP Wiser’s, Forty Creek, Bacardi rum and El Jimador Tequila.
The collective of spirits suppliers, which together represent almost 70% of the spirits products sold in Ontario, have filed a court application with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to declare a controversial LCBO-pricing term invalid and unenforceable. Simultaneously, the suppliers have alerted the Competition Bureau of Canada that the LCBO’s enforcement of this pricing term, in their view, is an abuse of dominance with major anti-competitive implications for pricing and product choice impacting all Canadian consumers.
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