FAS issued a warning to the German bitters producer Jägermeister

The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) recognized the German company Mast-Jägermeister as a violator of the law “On Protection of Competition”. This is stated in the decision of the department, which Vedomosti got acquainted with. In this document, the FAS indicates that the manufacturer of the bitter Jägermeister, which in December 2022 demanded that wholesalers and retail chains stop selling drinks under the Alter Heiler and Konig Heiler brands from the Kaluga Distillery (KLVZ) Kristall, should not have named this product is counterfeit. The service draws attention to the fact that there is no judicial act establishing the counterfeit goods in this case. On this basis, the FAS issued a warning to Mast-Jägermeister.

A complaint to the Federal Antimonopoly Service against the actions of the German company was filed by KRVZ Kristall at the end of last year. “A foreign group is putting pressure on the manufacturer and retailers, trying to ban Kristall from producing its own bitters in Russia, and wholesalers and retail chains from selling these products,” the Russian company reported at the time. In particular, letters from Mast-Jägermeister demanding that such products be withdrawn from circulation were received by the Red and White and Chizhik chains (part of the X5 Group). The representative of Mast-Jägermeister, in turn, drew attention to the similarity of the label and the shape of the bottles of Alter Heiler and Konig Heiler bitters with the products of the German manufacturer. He said that the company considers exploiting the reputation of other brands and misleading consumers as unfair business practices.