George Weston Limited, Loblaw Companies announce settlement bread price-fixing arrangement
George Weston Limited and Loblaw Companies Limited jointly announced that they have entered into a settlement to resolve nationwide class action lawsuits against them relating to their role in an industry-wide price fixing arrangement between 2001 and 2015 involving certain packaged bread products.
The minutes of settlement provide for a total settlement of $500 million. George Weston will pay $247.5 million in cash, and Loblaw will pay $252.5 million (made up of $156.5 million in cash and credit for $96 million previously paid to customers by Loblaw under the Loblaw Card program).
The $500 million settlement figure was negotiated with the plaintiffs' lawyers in a mediation presided over by the Chief Justice of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. The settlement is subject to the finalization of a binding settlement agreement between the companies and the plaintiffs' lawyers, and Court approval.
Upon approval, the settlement will resolve all the plaintiffs' claims against the companies relating to this matter.
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Upon discovering the industry-wide arrangement in March 2015, the companies immediately reported it to the Competition Bureau, with whom they have been fully cooperating ever since. As an immediate response to the non-compliant behaviour, the companies took several actions, including overhauling how pricing is managed and significantly enhancing their compliance programs. These measures, which remain in place today, are industry-leading and include the establishment of an independent Compliance Office, reporting to the Loblaw Board of Directors, that has oversight of day-to-day compliance with laws and policies, including pricing practices.
"On behalf of the Weston group of companies, we are sorry for the price-fixing behaviour we discovered and self-reported in 2015. This behaviour should never have happened. We have the privilege of serving Canadians from coast to coast. That privilege needs to be earned each and every day. Reaching a settlement on this matter was the right thing to do in response to previous behaviour that did not meet our values and ethical standards," said Galen G. Weston, chairman of Loblaw and chairman and chief executive officer of George Weston.
"Canadians count on Loblaw to provide great value and we seek to meet their needs and earn their trust whenever and wherever they choose to shop with us," said Per Bank, president and chief executive officer of Loblaw. "We will continue to work hard to deliver on that commitment."
