The European Commission has imposed a total fine of €157m ($181.52m) on luxury fashion houses Gucci, Chloé and Loewe for engaging in resale price maintenance practices that violated EU competition law.
The commission found that the three brands limited the freedom of independent third-party retailers to determine their own online and offline prices for goods sold under their labels.
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The restrictions, which covered apparel, leather goods, footwear and accessories, were applied throughout the European Economic Area (EEA).
The companies imposed pricing conditions that prevented retailers from deviating from recommended retail prices, setting maximum discount levels or altering designated sales periods.
In some cases, retailers were barred from offering any discounts at all, while compliance was monitored to maintain uniform pricing across sales channels.
The European Commission stated: “In particular, the three fashion companies interfered with their retailers’ commercial strategies by imposing restrictions on them, such as requiring them to not deviate from recommended retail prices, maximum discounts rates and specific periods for sales”.
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By GlobalDataGucci also restricted online sales for one of its product lines.
The violations took place between April 2015 and April 2023 for Gucci, December 2019 and April 2023 for Chloé, and December 2015 and April 2023 for Loewe.
These unlawful practices ended after the commission conducted unannounced inspections in April 2023.
Fines were calculated based on factors such as the seriousness, duration and geographical reach of the infringements, along with the brands’ sales within the EEA.
All three companies received reductions for cooperating with the investigation — 50% each for Gucci and Loewe, and 15% for Chloé.
The resulting fines amounted to €119.67m for Gucci, €19.69m for Chloé and €18.01m for Loewe.
The commission stated that the conduct restricted retailers’ pricing independence, curbed competition and diminished consumer choice.
The actions were found to breach Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement, both of which prohibit anti-competitive business practices that affect trade within the Single Market.
The investigation began in April 2023 with unannounced inspections at the companies’ offices, followed by the formal opening of proceedings in July 2024.
Fines collected under EU antitrust regulations are directed into the general EU budget, which subsequently reduces member states’ contributions.
