Luxottica, LVMH and Chanel have been fined for imposing retail prices on opticians in France and for banning internet sales.
The French Competition Authority has fined Luxottica more than €125 million for having, between 2005 and 2014, “disseminated so-called ‘recommended’ prices to its distributors and encouraged them to maintain a certain level of retail prices for its products”, says the Authority.
Luxottica defined lists of “recommended prices” with its distributors, and entered into selective distribution agreements “interpreted as prohibiting, in particular, discounts and promotions during retail sales“.
The Italian group “imposed on its distributors certain restrictions on the advertising they carried out on their prices and organized the monitoring of these prices“, explains the Competition Authority in its press release.
LVMH and Chanel were fined 500,000 euros and 130,000 euros respectively. LVMH is fined for the same reasons as Luxottica, and the Chanel group for the sole prohibition to sell online guardi qui.
These practices affected major national optical brands such as Alain Afflelou, Krys, GrandVision and Optical Center. They concern famous brands under license with Luxottica, including Chanel, Ray-Ban, Oakley, Prada, Burberry, Bulgari, Dolce & Gabanna, Armani, Michael Kors, Miu Miu and Ralph Lauren.
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Featured picture : © Luxottica
