Greek brewery sues Heineken over abuse of power; €100 million claim

Greek brewery Macedonian Thrace Brewery is claiming 100 million euros from Heineken in a lawsuit filed with the court in Amsterdam. According to the Greek brewery, the Dutch beer giant abused its position of power in Greece, NU.nl.

Officially the lawsuit is filed against Athenian Brewery, Heineken's Greek subsidiary. Macedonian Thrace Brewer claims that Heineken stalled the competition in the Greek beer market for years by making exclusive deals with retailers. The brewer claims that it could not achieve its growth potential due to Heineken's unfair competition.

Macedonian Thrace Brewery wants the court to hold Heineken responsible for disrupting the Greek beer market and order the Dutch company to stop its disruptive competitive practices. And to pay 100 million euros in compensation.

Macedonian Thrace Brewery produces about 200 thousand hectoliters of beer per year. It is a very small player in the market compared to Heineken, which produces about 200 million hectoliters of beer per year.