EU fines Gucci EUR 119.6 million for anti-competitive pricing practices

Brussels – The European Commission fined Gucci over 119.6 million euros for preventing stores from selling online and resellers from setting their own sales prices. The well-known Italian fashion house implemented “anti-competitive pricing practices” contrary to EU rules, the European Commission denounced in announcing the measure against the “Made in Italy” brand that European consumers so cherish.

In practice, Gucci fixed the resale prices for shops to avoid lower prices and competition from retailers. Moreover, the same fashion house imposed restrictions on online sales for a specific product line, asking its retailers to stop selling online, all this violating EU rules. 

The distorting conduct went on from April 2015 to April 2023, when surprise checks by the EU executive resulted in an end to the misconduct admitted and acknowledged by the Gucci group itself, which, having chosen to cooperate, saw the amount of the fine reduced by 50 percent, allowing it to pay “only’ EUR 119,674,000. 

“This decision sends a strong signal to the fashion industry and beyond that we will not tolerate this kind of practice in Europe, and that fair competition and consumer protection apply to everyone, equally,” said Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Fair, and Competitive Transition. “In Europe, all consumers, whatever they buy, and wherever they buy it, online or offline, deserve the benefits of genuine price competition.” 

For the same anti-competitive pricing policy, the European Commission also fined Chloé and Loewe for three different cases of competition law violations that overlapped both in terms of timing and type of irregularity. The EU executive imposed a EUR 19.7 million fine on Chloé and EUR 18 million on Loewe, bringing the total for the three different fashion brands to EUR 157 million.