EU Hits Pierre Cardin and Licensee with $6 Mln Antitrust Fine

Flags of the European Union (EU) and Ukraine fly together with flags of EU member states outside the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France November 26, 2024.  REUTERS/Yves Herman
Flags of the European Union (EU) and Ukraine fly together with flags of EU member states outside the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Yves Herman
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EU Hits Pierre Cardin and Licensee with $6 Mln Antitrust Fine

Flags of the European Union (EU) and Ukraine fly together with flags of EU member states outside the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France November 26, 2024.  REUTERS/Yves Herman
Flags of the European Union (EU) and Ukraine fly together with flags of EU member states outside the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Yves Herman

The EU Commission on Thursday said it had handed a total fine of 5.7 million euros ($6 million) to French fashion house Pierre Cardin and German clothing maker Ahlers for breaching EU antitrust rules.
The commission said the companies between 2008 and 2011 had anticompetitive agreements to shield Ahlers from competition in European countries where it held a Pierre Cardin license.
The move by the European Commission, which acts as the EU competition enforcer, followed dawn raids on Pierre Cardin in 2021 and charges imposed against the company last year.
"These illegal practices prevent retailers from being able to freely source products in member states with lower prices and artificially partition the internal market," the commission said.
Pierre Cardin was fined for 2.2 million euros, while Ahlers has to pay 3.5 million euros.
The fine confirmed an earlier report by Reuters.



H&M First-quarter Sales Weaker Than Expected

A woman is reflected next to the logo of the H&M fashion retailer in the Mall of Berlin shopping center in Berlin, Germany, in this September 25, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
A woman is reflected next to the logo of the H&M fashion retailer in the Mall of Berlin shopping center in Berlin, Germany, in this September 25, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
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H&M First-quarter Sales Weaker Than Expected

A woman is reflected next to the logo of the H&M fashion retailer in the Mall of Berlin shopping center in Berlin, Germany, in this September 25, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
A woman is reflected next to the logo of the H&M fashion retailer in the Mall of Berlin shopping center in Berlin, Germany, in this September 25, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Swedish fast-fashion retailer H&M reported weaker than expected sales for its first quarter on Thursday and said sales were up 1% so far in March, in a sign of a slow start to its spring and summer season.
H&M reported sales of 55.3 billion Swedish crowns ($5.52 billion) for the December to February quarter, missing analysts' mean estimate of 55.9 billion Swedish crowns, Reuters said.
"Our sales and earnings in the quarter were somewhat weaker than planned – but the first quarter is the smallest quarter of the year for us in terms of sales and margin, and we are confident going forward," CEO Daniel Erver said in a statement.
Increased discounting and marketing investments impacted H&M's profitability in the quarter, the company said, with the operating profit margin falling to 2.2% from 3.9% in the same period a year ago.
Erver, leading H&M for just over a year, is trying to turn its fortunes around and has ramped up marketing, spending on pop stars like Charli XCX to model its collections as he tries to make the brand more desirable and better compete against Zara and Shein.