2 August 2021, Budapest – The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) is continuing its series of on-site investigations within the framework of its accelerated sector inquiry on the Hungarian market of ceramic masonry elements. During these so-called dawn raids across the country the GVH collects data from distributors to reveal structural issues on the market.

         The Authority has recently launched an accelerated sector inquiry on the Hungarian market of ceramic masonry elements, after receiving multiple signals related to the market in question. Within the framework of the inquiry, the GVH began a series of dawn raids, which continued today in various points of the country with respect to the field of distribution after the manufacturing sector. The experts of the Authority visited both retailers and wholesalers in the counties of Győr-Moson-Sopron, Baranya, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, and Bács-Kiskun, as well as the capital, in order to collect information that may facilitate the elimination of any anomalies that could be the cause of the crisis in the construction industry.

An important aspect of the sector inquiry is that it maps out the entire cross-section of the market under investigation, meaning that it is able to follow the full lifecycle of a product from the manufacturer all the way to the consumer. The sector inquiry will cover the so-called joint procurement groups and franchise systems in particular. These ventures consisting of construction material traders are created with the purpose of obtaining larger discounts and competitive prices from manufacturers by utilising their combined market power and joint procurements.

Following the on-site investigations, the GVH will work on revealing and analysing any structural problems on the market within the tight deadline of the accelerated sector inquiry.

GVH Press Office

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