Press Release
C. 03-13 th
El Salvador, February 19 , 2013
CS launches program: Compete to win The Competition Superintendence (CS) launched today the program: Compete to win, consisting in a series of informative events on competition that, in its first stage to be carried out during 2013, shall include more than 2,500 businesses in the country´s main commercial malls. “The CS is promoting to get closer to small and medium size businesses to impulse competition pursuant to the CL”, informed Francisco Diaz Rodriguez, Competition Superintendent.
The CS launched the first phase of its program: Compete to win which is expected to cover mores 2,500 businesses located in the country´s principal commercial malls. Said program combines with a series of informative presentations that the CS has been conducting with associations to promote competition culture. The aforementioned program is part of the strategic communications activities that the CS plans to execute in 2013 in order to educate businesses located in malls about the importance of competition to inject dynamism for growth and innovation, as well as about the anticompetitive practices prohibited by the Salvadoran Competition Law (CL).
The malls Plaza Merliot, Las Cascadas, Galerías, Plaza Centro, Unicentros, Metrocentros, Multiplaza, and El Paseo, are participating in this program. Together these malls have more than 2,500 businesses dedicated to various commercial activities. “We will be able to talk directly to owners of shoes stores, boutiques, restaurants, well, to an ample variety of businesses. We will use this opportunity to explain to them how competition gives them freedom to be creative and innovate, and how they can grow and expand by combining this with the compliance of the rules set forth by the CL”, asserted Francisco Díaz Rodriguez, Competition Superintendent. “Due to the fact that the emblematic cases solved by the CS have involved big enterprises such as wheat flour manufacturers, petroleum and telephone companies, many people think that the CL only applies to large businesses and not to small ones. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, Article 2 of the Law defines an economic agent as any public or private individual, natural or legal institution, directly or indirectly engaged in a profitable or non-profitable economic activity”, added the Superintendent. This program combines with a series of informative presentations that the CS has been conducting with associations to promote competition culture in the country. Some associations have already been given these presentations, such as to the Salvadoran Association of Radio Broadcasters (in Spanish, Asociación Salvadoreña de Radiodifusores or its acronym “ASDER”); Association of Distributers of El Salvador (in Spanish, Asociación de Distribuidores de El Salvador or its acronym “ADES”); and, Salvadoran Banking Association (in Spanish, Asociación Bancaria Salvadoreña or its acronym “ABANSA”). The CL states in its Article 13 letter n), the following: “carry out a public education program to promote competition culture”. In 2014 and 2015, the CS plans to get closer to the small, medium, and large enterprises and continue its activities with the various associations around the country.