Printed in the Business Monday of October 1st, 2012

 From time to time the Commission is made aware of certain commercial practices which are potentially anti-competitive and which are likely to result in significant harm to consumer welfare. When this occurs the Commission’s role is to investigate the compliant. However, it is also necessary to remind businesses of the need to be fair in their transactions.

Lately, a fairly common complaint to the Commission is that certain suppliers of business and other mechanical equipment are requiring that consumers who purchase their equipment, utilise consumable supplies (maintenance or replaceable parts) only of the supplier’s brand, as a condition of the product’s warranty.

Printed in the Business Monday of May 28th,2012

The Commission has noted with interest the recent upsurge in merger activity in the commercial banking sector in Barbados. It is clear from this recent activity, that there is a move to consolidate operations in this area in order to respond to the competitive pressures which exist in the market.

Printed in the Business Monday Newspaper on April 30th, 2012

As the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the CARIFORUM States and the European Community begins to come into operation, businesses on both sides are seeking ways in which to take advantage of the increased access to each other’s domestic markets. As this process begins to take effect it is important that local businesses are aware of the fact that they are likely to encounter some anti-competitive challenges when entering such markets and they should also be aware of the process for recourse available to them to counter these challenges.

 Printed in the Business Monday newspaper on May 23, 2011

The days of mass production, strong brand loyalty and long product cycles have fallen by the wayside. Times have obviously changed and consumers want specialised products and services catering to new, often “niche” markets. Consumers are now more discriminating and demand the best quality, service and value for their hard-earned cash. Global forces have led to the growing convergence and interaction between different policies namely, competition policy and consumer protection policy which ultimately result in benefits for both the macro economy and consumers. Establishing closer relationships between the two policies is being further explored and advanced by policy-makers who have come to realise that true consumer power requires more than competitive markets and product choice. Accurate and understandable information is also needed to facilitate consumer decision-making in the increasingly complex marketplace of today.