COFFEE CARTEL
Source: News Agency
19 September 2007
Police in the UK were tonight refusing to speculate on the reasoning behind a clampdown on several Internet email accounts from popular Service Providers Yahoo and Hotmail. Their official spokesmen spoke briefly to the media only to confirm that investigations were ongoing and speculation at this time would be inappropriate.
Rumour has been spreading across the Internet in the last twenty-four hours that an announcement regarding the discovery of industry-wide coffee price fixing cartel from authorities was imminent. Although nothing has been confirmed, it is thought that employees of three of the major International chain franchises Starbucks, Costa and Caffé Nero are involved.
Unfortunately no one was available for comment from those companies, but the manager of a small independent coffee house in Lincolnshire did have this to say:
“We have long suspected foul practice from some of our larger competitors, there is a genuine belief that they are trying to drive us out of business through whatever means possible. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth, like Fairtrade coffee.”
The fact that Police are taking an interest in web-based email accounts suggests that any collusion may have been between individual employees and shop managers. At this stage it is unclear whether any senior executives from the three companies are implicated.
Further updates to follow.