Bakers Delight Franchise Off The ACCC Hook

SmartCompany.com.au:

Franchisee activists hoping for a new dawn in franchise regulation will be disappointed by the competition watchdog’s decision not to prosecute bakery franchise Bakers Delight in relation to unconscionable conduct allegations.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission announced yesterday that it had concluded its investigations into allegations that Bakers Delight engaged in misleading and deceptive and unconscionable conduct.

‘Having conducted an in-depth investigation, including analysing a large amount of documentary evidence and conducting a number of detailed interviews with various witnesses, the ACCC has decided not to take any further action,’ said a statement from the ACCC.

However, the ACCC is holding ‘continuing discussions with Bakers Delight with a view to ensuring its trade practices law compliance procedures and complaint handling processes are best placed to deal with issues that might arise in the future’.