ROMANIA: The Price Monitor, live after 2 years. Auchan and Cora, the great absentees | Progresiv
The food Price Monitor, a project announced by the Competition Council and ANPC since the autumn of 2014, has just been released and can be accessed online at www.monitorulpreturilor.info. 
The platform, which is operated by non-profit institution GS1, shows prices updated weekly from eight commercial chains owned by international retailers active in Romania: Carrefour Market (Carrefour group supermarkets), Kaufland, Lidl, Penny Market, Selgros Cash & Carry, Mega Image and Profi.
Currently there are monitored 303 stores in Bucharest, therefore every retailer presented a limited number of units.
The list includes 128 products monitored in 64 food and beverage categories. The selection of products was carried out by market research company Nielsen to be representative for the weekly shopping basket of a household. The Competition Council officials have indicated that Monitor prices are updated weekly directly by retailers participating in the project.
"The project participants have committed to update prices at least once a week. Obviously, it is in their interest to respect this as the retailer will be penalized by its customers if they see that shelf prices are not identical to the ones in the Price Monitor", said Daniela Badila, General Director of the Competition Council.
AMRCR (Large Retilers Association in Romania), although initially against this initiative of the Competition authority, was present at the launch of the Price Monitor and said they supported the project. "We consider useful for customers such a Monitor. It took a while, but the outcome is a good project, it took a lot of hard work", said Florin Capatana, AMRCR Vice-President.
From the list of retailers monitored three big names are missing from the local modern trade locally: Auchan, Cora and Metro. "Metro chain, as you know, has a business model different from the other retailers monitored because it does not address directly to the final consumer, and therefore it would not have been useful for monitoring consumer prices in these stores. Cora refused to participate, while Auchan took part in all the preparatory stages, but due to technical difficulties related to IT systems, has not entered the monitoring", explained Daniela Badila.
From the Price Monitor are also missing the local retail chains owned by independent retailers, but competition authority representatives have said they will consider including these retailers in subsequent phases of the project.
"The platform we are launching today (November 24, 2016 - No.) is a pilot project. After the first year will decide whether to expand in the country and if we increase the list of products. At one time, this project will have to come from State will have to outsource, "said Bogdan Chiriţoiu, President of the Competition Council.
"The platform we are launching is a pilot project. After the first year we will decide whether to expand in nationwide and if we increase the list of products. At one time, this project will have to come out from the State and we will have to outsource it", said Bogdan Chiritoiu, President of the Competition Council.
