The Essilor International group has been condemned by the French Competition Authority for hindering the development of online sales of corrective lenses in France. Essilor has been fined €81 million for “discriminatory” commercial practices.
The Competition Authority accuses the company of having implemented, between April 2009 and December 2020, “discriminatory commercial practices aimed at hindering the development of online sales of corrective lenses in France”. The company accuses them of having abused its dominant position in France by imposing restrictions on delivery, communication and guarantees on online sales operators.
“In order to prevent online sales sites from offering Essilor or Varilux branded lenses to consumers, the strategy developed by Essilor as early as 2009 consisted not only in refusing to deliver branded lenses to them, but also in prohibiting them from using Essilor’s brands and logos and from communicating about the origin of the lenses,” the Competition Authority added.
The company said in a statement issued on Tuesday evening that it would appeal the decision. “EssilorLuxottica is firmly convinced that its practices are legal and that it is right to market certain segments of corrective lenses under conditions that guarantee consumers the best visual correction necessary to meet their personal needs,” EssilorLuxottica said.
“The company also maintains that it has operated in strict compliance with the competitive and regulatory environment of the relevant period,” from April 2009 to December 2020, it added.
This is not the first time that the Essilor-Luxottica group has been sanctioned by the Competition Authority. In 2021, Luxottica was fined €125 million in France for “serious and long-term anti-competitive practices” that prevented optician networks from setting their prices.
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Photo à la Une : © EssilorLuxottica
