Pierre Cardin and Ahlers fined €5.7 million for restricting sales

The European Commission fined Pierre Cardin and Ahlers €5.7 million for restricting sales and distorting competition.

The European Commission (EC) has imposed a €5.7 million fine on the French fashion house Pierre Cardin and its German licensee Ahlers for restricting cross-border sales and sales to certain customers. The investigation, launched in 2022, concluded that both companies established anticompetitive agreements between 2008 and 2021 to shield Ahlers from competition in European Economic Area (EEA) countries where it held brand licenses.

Of the total, Pierre Cardin will pay €2.2 million, while Ahlers will bear €3.5 million. One of the companies obtained a reduction in its fine by claiming an inability to pay, although it was not specified which one.

In 2021, the EC inspected both companies, and in 2022, it opened a formal investigation. According to the ruling, the companies restricted sales to ensure Ahlers’ territorial exclusivity in the EEA, violating EU antitrust rules.

In July 2023, the German group Röthers acquired Ahlers, which was insolvent, incorporating its assets into the R.Brand Group. The EC continues to intensify its scrutiny of anticompetitive practices in Europe, also investigating luxury and beauty companies such as Gucci and fragrance suppliers. Pierre Cardin and R.Brand Group did not comment.