Coca-colonialism: Strike 1, strike 2…

The San Antonio Express-News reported Friday:

Coca-Cola Co., the world’s largest soft-drink maker, and its Mexican bottler said Mexico’s antitrust agency ruled against the $380 million acquisition of a juice maker.

Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Femsa SA said Friday they were informed unofficially of the Federal Competition Commission’s decision to block the purchase of Mexico’s Jugos del Valle SAB for $380 million in cash and the assumption of $90 million debt.

Today’s El Universal reports another blow against the hegonomy of “las aguas negras del imperio yanqui” (my translation)

The Mexican “Tribunal Colegiado” (Court of Appeals) ratified a Federal Competitiveness Commission (CFC for its initials in Spanish) sanction against Coca-Cola Export for “monopolistic practices” and fined the U.S. based business 10.5 million pesos (about one million dollars).

Coca-Cola Export Company will also be prohibited from engaging in certain exclusive commercial deals with its clients, according to a CFC communication.

The 13^th Collegial Tribunal for Administrative Matters said in they were ruling “in favor of conusmers, who have the right to purchase the soft drink of their choice at the point of sale.”

The beverage company had sought an injunction against the CFC ruling. The 2000 complaint against Coca Cola was filed by Pepsi Cola Mexicana, resulting in an investigation for monopolistic practices going back to 2000. .

The CFC had ruled that Coca-Cola Company imposed “exclusive point of sale and marketing restrictions on bottled soft drinks” and “did not permit vendors to sell other brands.”

Coca-cola’s practice of providing small markets with coolers bearing the company logo was singled out for mention by the CFC.

Based on the finding, the governmental body sanctioned the U.S. multi-national and each of its bottlers 10.5 million pesos, the maximum allowed by the 2006 reforms to the Federal Law on Economic Competition. .

The Tribunal’s decision sets a precedence for other monopolistic companies seeking injunctions against sanctions.

Only a million bucks?