EssilorLuxottica Handed Antitrust Fine in France
November 08 2022 - 12:42PM
Dow Jones News
By Mauro Orru
France's competition watchdog levied a fine on eyewear giant
EssilorLuxottica SA for unfair trade practices dating back more
than a decade ago, saying Essilor had curtailed consumer choice and
abused its dominant position in the French corrective-lenses
market.
The country's competition authority said Tuesday that it had
fined Essilor International SA--the French optical-lens maker that
merged with Italian sunglasses manufacturer Luxottica Group
SpA--roughly 81 million euros ($81.2 million). Parent company
EssilorLuxottica will be responsible for EUR15.4 million of the
total.
Essilor had prevented some online platforms from offering
Essilor or Varilux branded lenses to consumers from as early as
2009, a practice that went on for nearly 12 years. It also refused
to deliver branded lenses and prohibited those platforms from using
Essilor's trademark and logos, the watchdog said.
Essilor's practices may have played a role in keeping the price
of glasses at high levels and also contributed to limiting consumer
choice, the authority said.
EssilorLuxottica said it strongly disagrees with the decision
and will appeal it.
"The company also restates that its practices were fully
compliant with the competitive and regulatory contexts of the
concerned period, and that they benefited not only its customers
and partners but also the whole industry," EssilorLuxottica said in
a statement.
Write to Mauro Orru at mauro.orru@wsj.com; @MauroOrru94
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 08, 2022 12:27 ET (17:27 GMT)
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