The Autorité de la concurrence has fined four companies—Schneider Electric, Legrand, Rexel, and Sonepar—a total of €470 million for engaging in vertical price-fixing agreements in France’s low-voltage electrical equipment market. These agreements allowed the manufacturers to control end-customer prices through a “derogation” system, which effectively prevented competition among distributors and kept prices artificially high, impacting consumer costs.
The investigation revealed that between 2012 and 2018, Schneider Electric, Legrand, and distributors Rexel and Sonepar used derogated prices under framework contracts to set fixed prices, undermining intra-brand competition. Documents showed the companies were aware of the anticompetitive nature of their actions but proceeded due to the mutual financial benefits.
In addition to the fines, the companies must publish a summary of the decision in both Les Echos and a specialist magazine, as well as on their websites for seven days.
