CCI Orders Probe Into Asian Paints’ Market Conduct
Paint

CCI Orders Probe Into Asian Paints’ Market Conduct

India’s Competition Commission has directed its investigations unit to examine whether Asian Paints has abused its dominant position, following a complaint by Kumar Mangalam Birla’s paints venture, Birla Opus. In its prima facie view, the regulator said Asian Paints appears to have imposed unfair conditions on dealers by offering discounts, incentives and foreign trips in exchange for exclusivity, and by raising sales targets for those stocking Birla products.

Birla Opus also alleges the market leader discouraged landlords and transporters from working with the new entrant. The CCI noted that such practices could create barriers to entry and partially foreclose competition. Asian Paints, which holds about 52 per cent share of India’s paint market, has seen its dominance eroded since Birla Opus launched in February 2024 and quickly captured nearly 7 per cent of the sector.

Asian Paints said it is reviewing the order and will take appropriate legal steps while fully cooperating with the investigation. The Indian paint and coatings market is forecast to expand from USD 10.46 billion in 2025 to USD 16.37 billion by 2030, driven by rapid infrastructure and real estate development, underscoring the stakes in the ongoing enquiry.


India’s Competition Commission has directed its investigations unit to examine whether Asian Paints has abused its dominant position, following a complaint by Kumar Mangalam Birla’s paints venture, Birla Opus. In its prima facie view, the regulator said Asian Paints appears to have imposed unfair conditions on dealers by offering discounts, incentives and foreign trips in exchange for exclusivity, and by raising sales targets for those stocking Birla products.Birla Opus also alleges the market leader discouraged landlords and transporters from working with the new entrant. The CCI noted that such practices could create barriers to entry and partially foreclose competition. Asian Paints, which holds about 52 per cent share of India’s paint market, has seen its dominance eroded since Birla Opus launched in February 2024 and quickly captured nearly 7 per cent of the sector.Asian Paints said it is reviewing the order and will take appropriate legal steps while fully cooperating with the investigation. The Indian paint and coatings market is forecast to expand from USD 10.46 billion in 2025 to USD 16.37 billion by 2030, driven by rapid infrastructure and real estate development, underscoring the stakes in the ongoing enquiry.

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Vedanta Metal Bazaar Expands to Global Markets

Vedanta Aluminium has expanded its digital e-commerce platform, Vedanta Metal Bazaar, to international markets, enabling overseas customers to order and purchase aluminium products online.The platform will now be available to buyers across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, providing a digital gateway for export transactions with 24x7 access.In FY26, Vedanta Metal Bazaar processed transactions worth nearly $4.1 billion, or over Rs 380 billion, and fulfilled more than 23,000 orders. The platform is also used regularly by more than 550 MSMEs in India alongside large OEM customers.The export ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Ramky Infrastructure Q1 FY27 Revenue Rises 24.3%

Ramky Infrastructure Limited reported a 24.3% year-on-year increase in consolidated revenue from operations to Rs 471.2 crore for Q1 FY27, compared with Rs 3.79 billion in the corresponding quarter of FY26.Standalone revenue from operations rose 27.5% YoY to Rs 4.51 billion from Rs 3.54 billion, while total standalone income increased 35% to Rs 5.32 billion.Consolidated profit before tax stood at Rs 540.9 million during the quarter. The company highlighted a sharp sequential improvement compared with a pre-exceptional loss of Rs 190.1 million in Q4 FY26.Two of the three projects awarded during..

Next Story
Technology

LTTS Launches AgenticIQ AI Platform for Engineering

L&T Technology Services (LTTS) has launched AgenticIQ, an end-to-end agentic AI platform designed for engineering and manufacturing organisations.The platform is aimed at helping enterprises move beyond isolated AI pilots by enabling autonomous, multi-agent workflows across engineering, product development, manufacturing, industrial operations and customer experience.AgenticIQ is built on LTTS’ Engineering Intelligence portfolio and converts existing engineering capabilities into specialised, reusable AI agents. Its planning-first architecture is embedded into engineering and production ..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement