January 4, 2010
JAKARTA (AFP) - The Indonesian subsidiary of French supermarket chain Carrefour said Monday it has filed an appeal against an antitrust ruling ordering it to sell its 75-percent stake in a local retailer.
The Business Competition Supervisory Commission in November ordered Carrefour Indonesia to sell its stake in Alfa to outside parties after it ruled that the chain dominated more than 50 percent of the market.
The appeal was filed with the South Jakarta district court in mid-December last year, spokesman Irawan Kadarman told AFP.
"In principle, we disagree with the Business Competition Supervisory Commission's verdict which said we're in a dominant position and that we should divest our shares in Alfa," he added.
"Carrefour has not been conducting monopolistic practices. The commission's findings are baseless, so we've filed an appeal," Kadarman said, adding that the first hearing is scheduled for mid-January.
Carrefour, the world's second biggest retailer, bought Alfa in 2008 for 674 billion rupiah (70.9 million dollars).
It has 45 stores across Indonesia while Alfa has 30.
