Hungary: Announced GVH competition supervision procedure into e-commerce platform Temu regarding its trading practices

On 13 March 2024, the Hungarian Economic Competition Authority (GVH) announced the initiation of a competition supervision procedure against Whaleco Technology Limited, the European operator of the e-commerce platform Temu. The GVH has received several notifications regarding Temu's potentially misleading trading practices, including non-existent discounts, psychological pressure, and misleading green messages. The GVH suspects that these practices may be capable of deceiving consumers. The procedure aims to clarify the facts and prove the alleged violation. The investigation period is set for three months, extendable twice by a maximum of two months each time in justified cases. The maximum fine that can be imposed can be 13% of the international group-level annual sales of the company concerned.