Canada's Antitrust Authority Obtains Court Orders to Accelerate Probe of Empire's Commercial Leases

By Paul Vieira

OTTAWA--Canada's antitrust watchdog said on Monday it obtained court orders that compel grocery owner Empire to hand over documents and deliver oral testimony in its investigation regarding the company's use of leases to thwart competition.

The Competition Bureau said it's examining whether Empire, through commercial real estate agreements, is harming competition in the retail grocery industry. A lack of competition, the bureau said, can result in higher prices and lower-quality products.

The court orders will provide the watchdog "additional information about the scope of Empire's practices in Canada, including how the company negotiates property controls and their potential impacts on competition across Canada."

A spokesperson for Empire did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Canada recently amended its laws to give antitrust authorities greater powers to investigate commercial-real estate agreements that limit competition in the grocery sector. The bureau is focused on so-called exclusivity clauses within commercial leases that limit the use of land or other leased premises by competitors of the tenant.

Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 22, 2026 09:36 ET (13:36 GMT)