The EU on Tuesday imposed fines totalling more than €157 million (Rs 1,613 crore) on luxury fashion brands Gucci, Chloe, and Loewe for breaching competition rules.
The fines follow surprise raids carried out by the European Commission on the companies in April 2023 and a formal antitrust investigation launched in July 2024.
The Commission said it had imposed the fines because the three brands "restricted the ability of the independent third-party retailers they work with to set their own online and offline retail prices."
The EU's powerful antitrust watchdog stated that such anticompetitive behaviour increases prices and reduces choice for consumers.
The penalties were reduced for all three companies after they acknowledged their violations and cooperated with the Commission.
Brussels fined Kering-owned Italian label Gucci, the largest of the three companies, €119.7 million (Rs 1,229) for infringements between April 2015 and April 2023.
French house Chloe received a €19.7 million (Rs 202 crore) fine for violations between December 2019 and April 2023.
The EU also imposed an €18 million (Rs 185 crore) fine on Spanish house Loewe, owned by French luxury group LVMH, for infringements between December 2015 and April 2023.
The Commission said the companies "interfered with their retailers' commercial strategies," including by prohibiting them from exceeding maximum discount rates and imposing restrictions on specific sales periods.
In some cases, the three brands temporarily banned retailers from offering any discounts. The Commission added that the firms "acted independently of each other."
Kering said it "acknowledges" the EU's decision "related to past commercial practices at Gucci" and had already prepared for a fine in its financial statements for the first half of 2025. "The exposure is entirely covered," it added.
Loewe stated it "reiterates its firm commitment to acting in strict compliance with competition law."
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