The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has launched an investigation into Edenred Italia and its parent company Edenred SE for a potential abuse of dominant position in the meal voucher market, the regulator announced this morning.
The regulator is particularly concerned about a strategy implemented following the introduction of a legal cap on reimbursement fees. The AGCM suspects that Edenred may have unilaterally modified the terms for accepting electronic vouchers by removing direct integration with major retailers’ point-of-sale systems in favor of more costly third-party interconnection solutions. The group is also alleged to have imposed less favorable conditions, such as extended reimbursement periods.
According to the Authority, these practices could result in unjustified costs for major retail chains, with a risk of pass-through to consumer prices and, more broadly, an impact on the proper functioning of the market. As part of the proceedings, investigators, supported by the antitrust unit of the Guardia di Finanza, conducted inspections at the premises of Edenred Italia, as well as at other voucher issuers and interconnection system providers suspected of holding documents relevant to the inquiry.
The AGCM’s statement did not specify whether Pluxee is among the companies indirectly involved.