Ceramic tile producer Cersanit S.A. has been fined for entering into anti-competitive agreements with its wholesalers.
The fine was imposed by the Polish Competition Authority because Cersanit (formerly Opoczno S.A.) used distribution agreements stipulating recommended prices but, at the same time, requiring wholesalers to resell the products at prices not lower than the recommended price minus 25%.
The Competition Authority ruled that, despite the fact that the price was called 'recommended', this amounted to a requirement to apply the minimum resale price.
Agreements on minimum resale prices are considered a serious violation of competition law and subject to heavy fines. As Cersanit imposed the anti-competitive arrangement, it was fined more than PLN 900,000.
The five distributors with the highest turnover of Cersanit products while the anti-competitive arrangement was in effect were each fined between PLN 11,000 and PLN 86,000.
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The original publication date for this article was 05/01/2010.