Carrefour faces fine for inflating prices
Officials check vegetable prices at the Xuhui branch of Carrefour.
Carrefour will face a fine of 2 million yuan (US$288,334) for violation of China's price law, Shanghai's market watchdog said on Thursday.
The Xuhui branch of Carrefour was found marking the prices of 15 types of vegetables significantly higher, officials with the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation found on Tuesday.
Specifically, the price of lettuce surged to 19.8 yuan per box, up from 2.5 yuan regularly; while Chinese cabbage was sold at 19.55 yuan per 300 grams, compared with a regular price of 3.87 yuan, the administration said.
The price of Chinese greens also soared to 18.33 yuan per package, up from 4.26 yuan previously, according to the administration.
However, the outlet's procurement prices for these vegetables did not rise significantly, the administration said.
It was ordered to rectify such irregularities immediately and to set prices back to average levels prior to the pneumonia outbreak.
The administration said the outlet had been ordered not to inflate prices as early as January 23, although such orders were ignored.
The branch's actions not only violated the law, they also had a negative impact on society, the administration said.
