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Caprichem charged for hiking prices of sanitiser

28 May 2020

Following complaints from the public, an investigation by the Competition Commission has found Caprichem engaging in excessive pricing of hand sanitiser. The Commission has referred the case to the Competition Tribunal for prosecution.

Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

The Commission's investigation discovered that from March 2020, Caprichem increased its prices of 5L hand sanitiser from R262 to R527 (including VAT). This excessive pricing was to the detriment of customers and consumers and in contravention of the Competition Act read with Regulation 4 of the Consumer Protection Regulations.

This increase constitutes 91% increase in gross profit margin and 1918% increase in net profit margin.

Caprichem, a manufacturer of industrial chemicals based in the Western Cape, supplies different types of chemicals for cleaning and surface treatment to various industries such as automotive, construction, hospitality, laundry, personal care, food and beverages.

The Commission has asked the Tribunal to impose a maximum penalty against Caprichem.