Parents are willing to spend a lot of money on their children's school bags.
But apparently a large manufacturer has dictated the prices to retailers very hard - to the detriment of consumers.
Cologne - The first satchel is something special for children.
The ergobag brand backpacks in particular developed into the first status symbols that schoolchildren come into contact with.
With ergobag satchels, Velcro stickers ("Kletties") can easily be attached and removed again.
This means that the design of the satchel can be changed as often as you like, as long as different motifs are purchased.
A profitable business for the manufacturer of ergobags.
Especially since a backpack often costs more than 200 euros.
According to the Bundeskartellamt, not only Klettie-crazy schoolchildren and wealthy parents are responsible for the prices.
Bundeskartellamt: "Systematic price control"
The company Fond of GmbH, based in Cologne, owner of the brands ergobag and Satch, is said to have imposed inadmissible prices.
The Federal Cartel Office * has now imposed a fine of millions on the company.
According to the office, the cartel watchdogs accuse the company of restricting the prices of cooperating dealers in selling school bags.
As stated in the announcement, "the company Fond of has set minimum prices for its school rucksacks and bags for years and has ensured that the dealers involved do not fall below these prices".
At the same time, the President of the Federal Cartel Office, Andreas Mundt, justified the fine of a total of two million euros: "Fond of systematically checked the price setting and enforced compliance with the minimum prices with sanctions against the dealers."
Schoolbag: Parents are very willing to pay
That is against the law. Apart from a few exceptions such as books or newspapers and magazines, manufacturers are only allowed to provide retailers with non-binding price recommendations. According to the President of the Cartel Office, Mundt, deviating vertical price fixing is often at the expense of the consumer. As a result, they would pay higher prices. Mundt also criticizes: “Especially with school backpacks and school bags, parents are relatively willing to pay to protect their children. To enforce a fixed price is in no way acceptable ”.
As has now been proven by Fond of, the manufacturer has dictated the prices for years.
Dealers were only allowed to sell ergobag or Satch branded products at the RRP, while online trading was severely restricted and limited to a few middlemen.
Compliance with the prices had been checked and warned by Fond of for years, in some cases even until a search in 2019.
Bundeskartellamt: Proceedings against dealers and managers discontinued
According to the Cartel Office, the company cooperated in processing the proceedings.
Therefore, the fine was lower than originally planned.
With the notification of the fine, the judgment is now final in Germany, and the proceedings against the dealers and management have been discontinued at the same time.
The Bundeskartellamt keeps making headlines with large fines and proceedings. It was recently announced that the cartel guards are investigating Apple *.
* Merkur.de
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