WASHINGTON (FNS) -- The Federal Trade Commission here has scheduled a workshop at its offices May 31 and June 1 so agency officials can learn more about the practice of retailers and wholesalers charging manufacturers slotting fees.
The FTC, with authority over antitrust matters, has been investigating slotting fees for several years. FTC officials hope the workshop will help them better define when the fees are legal and when they are not.
"In some circumstances slotting allowances are likely to be efficient or competitively neutral," said FTC chairman Robert Pitofsky, in a statement announcing the workshop. "In other settings, though, they may be anticompetitive."
The workshops, which are open to the public, will involve panel discussions, and attendees will be able to participate. Panelists have not been announced.