The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) intervened in Wolt’s contractual terms, which could have led to market concentration and weakened competition in the food ordering and delivery platform market. This would have undermined the positions of both restaurants and consumers. Wolt modified its terms during the investigation. FCCA is currently analyzing the effects of these changes on market conditions and will publish the results by the end of the year.
In 2022, FCCA started a self-initiated investigation to determine whether the exclusive and price parity terms applied by food ordering and delivery platform Wolt were in violation of competition rules and whether they could lead to market concentration and the exclusion of competitors from the market.
Restaurants that entered into exclusivity agreements with Wolt committed to not selling food on any other ordering platforms besides Wolt. In return, Wolt charged restaurants a lower sales commission and committed to investing in marketing for the restaurants, among other things.
According to the price parity clause, the prices of products sold on Wolt’s platform could not be higher than the prices charged by the restaurant at its own sales points. This clause was included in the majority of Wolt’s restaurant agreements.
digital platform markets is market tipping, where a strong company successfully attracts both service providers and users to its platform, in Wolt’s case, restaurants and consumers. This makes the platform so attractive for both providers and users that it becomes difficult for other players to compete with it.
In Finland, there are only two companies operating in the restaurant food ordering and delivery platform market: Wolt and Foodora. Wolt is the market leader in Finland with a market share of approximately 70-80%.
"Due to the specific characteristics of digital platform markets, the terms applied by strong platforms have attracted the interest of competition authorities internationally. It is essential to address competition-restricting terms in a timely manner to ensure that markets remain competitive and do not tilt towards a single company."
Data analysis revealed signs of market tipping
FCCA examined sales data from Wolt and Foodora to assess how exclusivity agreements affected consumer purchases and customer shifts between platforms. The analysis indicated that customers shifted significantly more often from Foodora to Wolt when following a restaurant that had an exclusivity agreement with Wolt than vice versa. Additionally, customers of restaurants that switched exclusively to Wolt significantly transferred other purchases to Wolt as well. No similar effect was observed as a result of Foodora’s exclusivity agreements. As a result of customer shifts, many restaurants that did not enter into exclusivity agreements with either platform concentrated their platform sales on Wolt. These customer and restaurant transitions were reflected in Wolt’s growing market share.
"If exclusivity agreements had continued, there was a risk that the market would have concentrated under Wolt, which was already in a strong position. This would have weakened the position of restaurants. Without competitive pressure, Wolt would have had no incentive to compete for restaurants, for example, with lower commissions."
Restaurants now have broader pricing possibilities
Price parity clauses are usually problematic as they restrict companies’ pricing freedom and may raise product selling prices. Wolt charges restaurants a sales commission of approximately 20-30% on sales made through the platform. Because restaurants could not sell food items at a higher price on Wolt than at their own sales points due to the price parity clause, they had to either pass on Wolt’s commission to all their prices or reduce their margins.
FCCA investigated how the price parity clause affected restaurants’ pricing through a survey directed at restaurants. Some of the responding restaurants reported that they had raised their prices or started offering a different selection at their own sales points than on the platform.
“The abandonment of the price parity clause now gives restaurants greater freedom to decide on the prices of their products across different sales channels,” states Senior Specialist Laura Kariranta.
FCCA investigates the impact of the changes
In February 2024, FCCA provided a preliminary assessment to Wolt, indicating that the exclusivity and price parity terms it used were in violation of competition rules. Wolt announced that it would abandon these terms by October 2024. FCCA concluded its investigation into Wolt in May 2025 after receiving Wolt’s confirmation that it had ceased using these terms in its contracts.
Restaurants operating on the platform now have greater freedom to decide on their own sales channels and pricing. FCCA is currently investigating the effects of the changes on the competitive situation between platforms. The findings will be published later this year.
FCCA will continue to monitor the development of digital platform markets and will intervene in competition-restricting terms as necessary.
Read about the economic methods used by the FCCA and the analysis of the food platform market on the FCCA’s blog: