The Competition Bureau says it has obtained two court orders requiring the parent companies of Loblaws and Sobeys to hand over information related to its investigation into alleged anti-competitive conduct..The bureau said Tuesday this information will help determine whether Sobeys and Loblaw are imposing anticompetitive restrictions that negatively affect competition in the grocery industry. It said there is no conclusion of wrongdoing at this time.
“Restrictive covenants are very common in many industries, including retail. They help support property development investments, encouraging opening of new stores and capital risk-taking,” she said in a statement at the time. The court documents filed in May describe Empire’s and George Weston’s holdings in real estate investment trusts, or REITs, which count the companies’ own grocery banners as major tenants.The Competition Bureau revealed its investigation into the use of property controls in the grocery sector in February.