AMCU reveals collusion during sale of Izmail winery

The Antimonopoly Committee has suspected two companies of collusion during the auction of the Izmail winery in Odesa region.

According to the Southern Interregional Territorial Department of the AMCU, on November 13, the case against Vega Agro Trade Plus and Grenderis (formerly Blackburn Trade Plus) was launched.

According to the antitrust authorities, the companies are suspected of violating competition laws during their joint participation in the auction for the sale of the property of the former Izmail winery. The auction was held in 2023 by the State Property Fund in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.

After a preliminary investigation, the Antimonopoly Committee found possible signs of concerted actions between these bidders, which may indicate a violation of competition.

What is known about the plant

The winery in Izmail was founded in 1949. It can produce high-quality wines and spirits, and the climatic conditions in southern Ukraine are comparable to the best wine-growing regions in Europe: The International Organization of Viticulture and Winemaking compared this geographical area to Bordeaux, Tuscany and Rioja, according to the State Property Fund of Ukraine.

The winery's assets include a wine storage facility; grape processing, bottling, and champagne production shops; a finished goods warehouse, an exhibition complex, administrative buildings, etc. The total area of the premises is 27.2 thousand square meters. The assets are located in Izmail, as well as in the village of Suvorovo and the villages of Plavni and Prymorske. Previously, the winery's assets were used by a private tenant to produce champagne and sparkling wines.

For the first time, the Izmail winery was sold at auction on April 19, 2023. During the bidding, the value of the winery increased 11 times - from UAH 17.9 million starting price to UAH 200 million winning price. But the buyer did not pay for the lot

On June 27, the State Property Fund held an online privatization auction for the sale of the Izmail winery for the second time. This time, the auction was attended by Electronic Trade Technologies LLC, Vega Agro Trade Plus LLC, and Blackburn Trade Plus LLC. The first two had already participated in the previous auction. The winner of the new one was Vega Agro Trade Plus LLC, which offered UAH 36 million 101 thousand for the plant.

According to the YouControl service, Vega Agro Trade Plus LLC was registered in May 2021. The ultimate beneficiary is Volodymyr Shcherbyna.