Essilor International slapped with €81M antitrust fine in France over alleged discriminatory business practices

Essilor International, the French ophthalmic optics company that designs, manufactures and distributes lenses, was fined by the French Competition Authority (FCA). The company will have to shell out €81 million to settle the penalty with the antitrust regulators in France.

According to Reuters, the FCA handed down its decision to Essilor for alleged unfair business practices. The competition watchdog said that the fine was for the violations that stretch over 11 years.

The authorities explained this week that optic lens maker’s actions had been mapped out to impede the development of online sales for corrective lenses in France. EssilorLuxottica, Essilor’s parent company, will pay €15 million out of the total penalty of €81 million.

The Autorite de la Concurrence said EssilorLuxottica and its Essilor International engaged in practices that blocked online sales of some prescription lenses in the country. The antitrust regulator determined that Essilor abused its dominant position in the lenses distribution market this move has become an obstruction in the growth of online sales of other eye-corrective lens and eyeglasses firms such as DirectOptic, Sensee, and Happyview.

Market Watch reported that as early as 2009, Essilor prevented some online platforms from selling its Essilor or Varilux optic lenses to customers. The authorities added the company refused to deliver its branded lenses as well while also barring the websites from displaying the Essilor logo and trademark. This practice continued for more than a decade, which is why the FCA imposed a hefty fine.

Meanwhile, in a press release, EssilorLuxottica said it is challenging the decision of the FCA. The revealed its intention to file an appeal as it strongly disagrees with the regulators’ decision.

“EssilorLuxottica acknowledges that the French competition authority (FCA) has published today a decision concerning Essilor International,” the French-Italian Ray-Ban manufacturer said. “EssilorLuxottica firmly believes in the legality of its practices and in the relevancy of distributing specific segments of prescription products under conditions that enable us to ensure that consumers can get the best vision correction that is required by their individual vision needs.”

EssilorLuxottica further reiterated that its business practices were fully compliant with the competitive and regulatory conditions in the mentioned period. For its appeal, the firm is confident that it will be able to prove that the FCA’s decision is groundless.