Τhe Hellenic Competition Commission (HCC) imposed a fine of €954,485 on the company “VF HELLAS Ltd.’’ for the infringement of Articles 1 of Law 3959/2011 (Greek Competition Act) and 101 TFEU, by Decision no. 913/2026, adopted in the context of a Settlement Procedure.
The case concerns the markets for the import, manufacture and marketing of school supplies (e.g. school bags, lunch bags, and pencil cases) as well as branded clothing and footwear items. As part of its relevant ex-officio investigation, the Directorate-General for Competition (DGC) conducted on-site inspections at the premises of undertakings operating in the above markets. In view of sufficient evidence collected by the DGC, VF HELLAS submitted a settlement proposal, in accordance with para. 16 of HCC Decision No. 790/2022.
VF Hellas (VFH) is a subsidiary of the American VF Corporation and is engaged in the import and wholesale of school supplies and branded clothing and footwear items. It distributes, inter alia, the VANS, EASTPAK and THE NORTH FACE brands.
Through specific contractual terms included in its agreements with retailers, the above company restricted the latters’ free choice of online distribution channels for their products. In particular, it banned the use of online platforms as distribution channels, thereby limiting end consumers’ search options and competition.
As the scope of these restrictions extended to all products bearing a specific brand name (e.g., Vans), they were applied not only to school supplies but also to clothing and footwear items.
In particular, VFH:
(a) imposed a total prohibition of the use of price comparison platforms; and
(b) prohibited the use of advertising services on search engines (particularly Google Ads).
These practices constitute hardcore restrictions of competition, pursuant to Article 4(e) of Regulation (EU) No. 720/2022.
The HCC accepted the Settlement Proposal submitted by the above company, in accordance with the grounds of the case-Rapporteur's Statement of Objections, and imposed the above fine.
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Informal press release for information purposes only, non-binding on the Hellenic Competition Commission. |
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The full text of the Decision shall be published in the Government Gazette and posted on the HCC website https://www.epant.gr. |