The St. Petersburg UFAS has contacted the Federal Bailiff Service (FSSP) with a request to collect fines from Agrotorg LLC (Pyaterochka chain), Perekrestok Trading House CJSC, and Norma LLC. On Friday, proceedings were initiated based on writs of execution against Agrotorg, says a representative of the FSSP office in St. Petersburg. According to him, the bailiffs will begin enforcement on Monday. A representative of X5 Retail Group declined to comment. Norma could not be reached.

The Federal Antimonopoly Service is collecting about 8 million rubles from Agrotorg, 1.5 million rubles from TD Perekrestok, and 100,000 rubles from Norma.

In December 2010, the Federal Antimonopoly Service decided that O'Key, Agrotorg, TD Perekrestok, OOO Real-gipermarket, OOO Lenta, ZAO Diksi-Petersburg, and OOO Norma had simultaneously inflated prices for buckwheat and wheat flour in the summer and fall of 2010. The chains insisted that the sharp increase in purchase prices led to higher prices on the shelves. In early 2011, the Federal Antimonopoly Service fined the retailers 5% of their revenue from the sale of buckwheat and flour during the period of the violation, for a total of about 20 million rubles. The chains failed to challenge these decisions in court. In late February, the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region reduced the fine for ZAO Diksi-Petersburg from 1.4 million to 281,250 rubles. The company paid the fine, says its representative Lavrenty Gubin. Lenta and O'key also paid fines, their representatives confirmed. Real Hypermarket could not be reached.

State bodies often turn to bailiffs for help, says Igor Gushchev, partner of the law firm Duvernoy Legal, this is the only way out if the debtor refuses to voluntarily fulfill obligations. First, funds are collected from bank accounts, then funds are withdrawn from the cash register. If this money is not enough, movable and immovable property is seized, he explains.

Bailiffs to come to retailers