Competition Commission receives complaint from AICPDF against quick commerce businesses

The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation has submitted a complaint to the Competition Commission of India against numerous quick commerce companies, alleging anti-competitive practices in the Indian market. 

The AICPDF complained to the government’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, which forwarded on the complaint to the regulatory body, India Retailing reported. The complaint includes claims of predatory pricing by quick commerce businesses, which it believes is detrimental to smaller businesses in India. 

“CCI has asked the informant to furnish details and information as per the requirements of the Competition Act,” the Competition Commission of India’s chairperson Ravneet Kaur told the Press Trust of India. “Reminders have also been sent to the informant to furnish the requisite information.”

The Competition Commission of India’s protocol is to first asses complaints it receives to ascertain whether or not there are prima-facie violations of its competition norms. Should the consumer watchdog see sufficient grounds, it will launch an in-depth investigation into the matter through its Director General arm. 

“We will be filing a proper petition [complaint] along with all evidence against the quick commerce entities before CCI in the next 10 to 15 days,” the AICPDF’s president Darshil Patil told the Press Trust of India. The organisation believes that the swift growth of quick commerce businesses in the Indian e-commerce market is a threat to small scale retail businesses and their operational practices are creating an uneven playing field, according to its complaint.