The Competition Council (CC) imposed a fine of €512,100 on the official distributor of "Jura" coffee machines in the Baltic states and two retailers for maintaining a coordinated price level over several years, representatives of the CC announced at a press conference on Thursday.
Only one of the retailers, LLC "Innocent Pro," recognized the violation, whose indirect co-owner is Member of the European Parliament Martiņš Stakis. This company reached a settlement with the Competition Council (CC) and paid a relatively small fine of €23,535.
The fine for the official distributor of "Jura" coffee machines, the Estonian company "Rickman Trade," which has a registered branch in Latvia, amounted to €255,938, while the fine for the retail trader "Eugesta," controlled by Lithuanian entrepreneurs, was €232,636.
The CC stated that "Rickman Trade" was setting prices at which retailers could sell "Jura" coffee machines to end consumers, monitored retail prices, and raised objections to retailers if the price did not comply with the established one. The company also influenced the timing of promotions and the amount of discounts.
"Eugesta," operating under the brand "Kafo," and "Innocent Pro," operating under the brand "Es mīlu kafiju," adhered to the prices set by "Rickman Trade." As noted by the CC, "Rickman Trade" and "Innocent Pro" coordinated prices for coffee machines through "WhatsApp," while in the case of "Eugesta," information about price coordination was found in the electronic correspondence of employees.
According to the CC, due to the fact that market participants maintained the same retail price for a long time, a prohibited vertical agreement occurred. The CC established that violations were committed from September 20, 2020, to February 5, 2025, when an inspection was conducted.
According to "Firmas.lv," the Latvian branch of "Rickman Trade" was registered in 2017. The Estonian "Rickman Trade" is indirectly owned by Andres Allik, Silver Rits, and Dmitry Antipov.
LLC "Eugesta" was registered in 1996, with a share capital of €142,280. 80% of the capital belongs to the Lithuanian company "KS Investicija," while 10% each belongs to Lithuanian citizen Aurimas Stabingis and Latvian citizen Andris Pimanovs. In 2024, "Eugesta" had a turnover of €116.318 million, which is 2% more than the previous year, while the company's profit decreased by 4% to €2.839 million. Financial data for 2025 has not yet been provided.
LLC "Innocent Pro" was registered in 2012, with a share capital of €5,680. The owner of "Innocent Pro" is JSC "Infinity Coffee," whose shareholders are Stakis, Uldis Sangovics, Martiņš Dzenis, and Aivars Kaukalns in equal shares. In 2024, "Innocent Pro" had a turnover of €7.469 million, which is 47.5% more than the previous year, and the company's profit increased by 70.4% to €458,277. Financial data for 2025 has not yet been provided.
