A can of energy drink has become the unlikely centre of one of Europe’s most consequential competition cases. The Commission’s formal investigation into Red Bull, opened in November 2025 and now grinding through evidence gathered in raids across several member states, is the first time Brussels has taken direct aim at the practice of category management.

The theory of harm is unusual. Regulators suspect Red Bull used its dominance to persuade supermarkets and other off-trade retailers to stop stocking rival energy drinks, or to shove them to the margins of the shelf. More striking still, investigators are probing whether the company abused a role many retailers handed it voluntarily: that of category captain, the trusted supplier a store leans on to advise how an entire product aisle should be arranged.

That advisory role is common across grocery retail, which is precisely why the case carries weight far beyond one brand. Category management lets a leading supplier shape shelf space, promotions and product ranges. If the Commission decides that a dominant firm crossed the line from helpful advice into self-serving exclusion, the finding would ripple through consumer goods, where captaincy arrangements are the industry norm rather than the exception.

The stakes are real for Red Bull. A confirmed abuse of dominance can trigger fines of up to 10% of global turnover and binding orders to change commercial conduct. The company denies wrongdoing and says it competes on the strength of its product. It will have the chance to respond formally before any decision, and cases of this kind routinely take years to resolve.

Brussels has been busy on the enforcement front. In July the Commission closed a long-running probe into SAP, accepting a package of remedies that will govern the software giant’s aftermarket practices for a decade. Settling one case while escalating another signals a competition unit willing to bargain where behaviour can be fixed and to litigate where it cannot.

Critics warn the Red Bull inquiry could chill a legitimate commercial practice that often helps small retailers manage complex ranges they lack the resources to plan themselves. Supporters counter that the same closeness lets a market leader quietly tilt the playing field against challengers who never get a fair hearing on the shelf. How the Commission draws that line will set the tone for category management enforcement for years, and rivals across the food and drink aisle are watching every move.