• Has price fixing occurred in the sale of Posnet cash registers?
• The President of UOKiK launched a preliminary investigation in this matter.
• In addition, Competition Authority employees have searched the premises of four companies.

UOKiK has received information indicating that Posnet Poland, together with its trading partners, may have been unlawfully fixing the prices of its products, including cash registers, payment terminals, and barcode scanners. The Competition Authority conducted an analysis which showed that the prices of fiscal devices in online stores were at the same or very similar level.

As a result, the President of UOKiK launched a preliminary investigation and ordered searches which, with the court’s authorisation and in the presence of the Police, were carried out at the registered offices of the cash register manufacturer – Posnet Poland and at three distributors: Esc in Cracow, Segal in Opole, and Dotkom in Tychy.

– Price fixing would mean that companies could not purchase fiscal devices of a well-known brand cheaper than the top-down prices. We are currently analysing the evidence gathered during the searches - says President of UOKiK Tomasz Chróstny.

The preliminary investigation is conducted in rem and not against specific businesses. If the evidence collected confirms the suspicions, the President of UOKiK will initiate antitrust proceedings and bring charges against individual entities. An enterprise involved in a competition-restricting agreement faces a fine of up to 10% of its turnover. The managers responsible for entering into a tender collusion agreement face a fine of up to PLN 2 million.

Severe penalties for participation in collusion can be avoided through the leniency scheme. It offers businesses involved in an illegal agreement and managers responsible for entering into a collusion arrangement an opportunity to reduce a financial sanction or, in some cases, avoid it altogether. It is intended for those who agree to cooperate with the President of UOKiK as a “crown witness” and provide evidence or information regarding the existence of a prohibited agreement. We encourage those interested in the leniency scheme to contact the Authority at a dedicated phone number: +48 22 55 60 555. UOKiK staff will answer any questions about the leniency scheme, including anonymous inquiries.

We also remind you that we have a platform for obtaining information from anonymous whistleblowers. Do you wish to inform UOKiK about competition-restricting practices? Visit https://uokik.whiblo.pl/ or scan the QR code below and use the simple form. The system we use guarantees complete anonymity, including from UOKiK itself.