The French ant itr ust regulator , the Compet ition Authority , has fin ed Swiss watch maker Ro lex 9 1. 6 million euros (abo ut 720 million yuan) for bann ing retail ers from selling Ro lex wat ches onWhatsapp for more than a dec ade .
Ro lex dec lin ed to comment on the decision to pun ish .
Ro lex has for many years been active in the lux ury watch market in France , and has exclusiv ely licens ed a network of independent retail ers .
The pen alty for this reg ulation was impos ed in view of Ro lex ' s market domin ance and sales strategy that imp eded fair competition .
In particular , the ban on onWhatsapp sales is counter produc tive to the growth of e - commerce , which has had a major impact on retail ers .
The Compet ition Authority also notes that Ro lex has an advantage over other brand s in pric ing , nar row ing consumers ' cho ices because of the company ' s ability to make a difference .
He stress ed that in order to promote market competition , Ro lex would be required to remove such sales restri ctions .
In the future , how Ro lex will deal with this fine and review its sales strategy will attra ct attention from within and outside the industry .
Even in order to maintain its position as a lux ury watch brand , the company may be forced to consider a new sales model .
Release date: 2024-07-14 18:00:49
