From June 2022 the European Commission will adapt a set of rules that are supposed to protect fair competition within the European Single Market - The Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER).
For now the EC plans to give suppliers the possibility to sell their goods to retailers at different wholesale prices depending on the distribution channel (Dual Pricing).
Allowing manufacturers to implement Dual Pricing and determine different criteria for online and offline sales will most likely lead to discrimination against online selling – that will hurt not only digitalisation of SMEs but also retail in general.
VBER will last into the mid 2030s and so will shape the retail future.
#VBER #ecommerce #retail #SMEs
