European Commission Fines Pierre Cardin and Its Largest Licensee Ahlers €5.7 Million for Breaching EU Antitrust Rules

The European Commission (“Commission”) has  recently   imposed a fine of €5.7 million on Pierre Cardin and its largest licensee, Ahlers, for breaching EU antitrust regulations by restricting cross-border sales of Pierre Cardin-branded clothing and limiting sales of such products to specific customers.

On 22 June 2021, the Commission conducted unannounced inspections at Ahlers' premises and initiated formal proceedings on 31 January 2022 regarding potential anticompetitive conduct by Pierre Cardin and Ahlers.

The investigation revealed that, between 2008 and 2021, Pierre Cardin and Ahlers had entered into anticompetitive agreements and engaged in concerted practices to shield Ahlers from competition in the  European Economic Area (“EEA”) countries where the company held a Pierre Cardin license. This conduct violated Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (“TFEU”) and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement.

The fines imposed on each company in the investigation is as follows:

You can access the full text of the Commission’s decision here.

Kind regards,

Zumbul Attorneys-at-Law

info@zumbul.av.tr