Pierre Cardin, Ahlers distribution deals face EU antitrust scrutiny (updated)

Ahlers AG

31/01/2022 11:32

(Adds details)
    By Foo Yun Chee
    BRUSSELS, Jan 31 (Reuters) - French fashion house Pierre
Cardin's licensing and distribution deals with German clothing
maker Ahlers  AAHG.F  may breach European Union rules on online
and cross-border sales, EU antitrust regulators said on Monday
after opening an investigation.
    The move by the European Commission, which acts as the EU
competition enforcer, followed dawn raids at a German clothing
maker in June last year.
    "Pierre Cardin and Ahlers may have breached EU competition
rules by restricting the ability of Pierre Cardin's licensees to
sell Pierre Cardin-licensed products cross-border, including
offline and online, as well as to specific customer groups," the
Commission said in a statement.
    The EU executive has reinforced rules against curbs on
cross-border and online sales as part of a push to boost
e-commerce.
    The investigation will focus on whether Pierre Cardin and
Ahlers, its largest licensee, have developed a strategy to
prevent parallel imports and sales to specific customer groups
of Pierre Cardin-branded products by enforcing certain
restrictions in the licensing agreements.
    Violations of EU rules are punishable by fines up to 10% of
a company's global turnover and orders to the firms to change
business practices.

 (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee. Editing by Jane Merriman)
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