The Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) indicated today that it is conducting inspections at the premises of retailers and firms active in personal care (see, attached press release). The BCA suspects possible violations of the rules prohibiting anticompetitive arrangements (Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article IV.1 of the Code of Economic Law). Earlier this year, the European Commission (Commission) had already sent a request for information (RFI) to a firm active in the personal care sector which Bloomberg later identified as Procter & Gamble. The Commission itself made a link between that RFI and dawn raids which it carried out in the non-alcoholic beverages sector.

The BCA also used today’s announcement to refer once more to the updated version of its guidelines regarding the conducting of on-premise inspections (see, Van Bael & Bellis Belgian Antitrust Watch of 24 June 2025).