Big tobacco firms clash in NZ as Philip Morris sues BAT for anti-competitive behaviour

Thu, 22 Mar 2018

By Jonathan Underhill March 22 (BusinessDesk) - Philip Morris (New Zealand) is suing British American Tobacco (New Zealand), alleging its larger rival is breaching competition law by locking retailers into contracts designed to preserve its dominance in a $2.5 billion market. In the lawsuit, filed in the High Court in Auckland, PMNZ alleges BATNZ "is unlawfully incentivising and compelling retailers to restrict the availability of competitor products," it said in a media statement. PMNZ is seeking unspecified damages in five causes of act...

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