The Competition Bureau has obtained two court orders to advance its investigations into Empire Company Limited's and George Weston Limited's use of property controls. Empire is the parent company of Sobeys Inc. and George Weston is the parent company of Loblaw Companies Limited.
The orders, granted by the Federal Court, require the companies to produce records and information relevant to the Bureau's investigations. The investigations are currently focused on assessing the use of property controls in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
This information will help determine whether Sobeys and Loblaw are imposing anti-competitive restrictions on the use of real estate, known as property controls, that impact competition in the retail sale of food products. This includes examining whether they are restricting or excluding their competitors through exclusivity clauses and restrictive covenants. There is no conclusion of wrongdoing at this time.
Loblaw and Sobeys are the largest full-service grocery chains in Canada, with thousands of stores across multiple banners.
