Sennheiser Caught in Price-Fixing Scandal: What Went Down
Unlawful Conduct: Sennheiser Faces Millions in Penalty for Infringements - Sennheiser facing hefty million-dollar penalty
Yeah, so, Sennheiser - them famous for their swanky headphones - are in a bit of hot water, bud. They gotta cough up a cool €6 mil for bloody price-fixing. The Federal Cartel Office caught them red-handed, manipulating retail store prices for their audio products.
They've been secretly checking on the prices at retailers since at least 2015, and now they've been slapped with a hefty fine. Retailers that dared to sell their swanky headphones at less than the recommended retail price (RRP) were told to stump up more dough. Real sneaky, if you ask me.
The slidingskalle at the Bundeskartellamt in Bonn designated this as a deliberate plan. The workers were smart enough to know the laws about cartels, but they decided to hush it all up to hide their wrongdoings.
Fancy that! Three employees and Sonova's German subsidiary, which took over Sennheiser's consumer business in March 2022 and kept it rollin' under the same name, were also caught up in this mess. This shenanigan continued even after the takeover, until the Bundeskartellamt started sniffin' around in September 2022.
- Sennheiser electronic
- Federal Cartel Office
- Headphones
- Hefty fines
- Price-fixing
- Germany
- Bonn
- Illegal agreement
- Bundeskartellamt
- Hannover
- Sonova Consumer
Bonus Info:
- Fines and Punishments: The total fines come to an approximate €5,978,500, split amongst the guilty parties[1][2].
- Companies and Individuals Implicated: Sennheiser electronic SE & Co. KG and Sonova Consumer[1], along with three employees[2].
- Conspiracy: These parties are accused of engaging in illegal price-fixing practices concerning premium headphones[2].
- Violation: Their actions violated German antitrust laws, which prohibit collusive agreements that distort competition, such as price-fixing[2].
[1]: "Preisabsprachen- im Kopfhörergeschäft: Sennheiser- und Sonova-Konzern beteiligt" by Bundeskartellamt - Bundeskartellamt (17/11/2022)[2]: "Bundeskartellamt verhängt Bußgelder wegen Preisabsprachen im Kopfhörergeschäft" by Bundeskartellamt - Bundeskartellamt (17/11/2022)
- The Federal Cartel Office in Bonn has fined Sennheiser electronic SE & Co. KG and Sonova Consumer, as well as three employees, a combined €5,978,500 for illegal price-fixing of premium headphones in Germany, as stated in the press release by Bundeskartellamt.
- According to the same press release, the companies and individuals were found to have been involved in a conspiracy that violated German antitrust laws, which prohibit collusive agreements that distort competition, such as price-fixing.
- As reported by the Bundeskartellamt, the conspirators were engaging in illegal price-fixing practices regarding retail prices for their audio products, with retailers being instructed to sell their products at or above the recommended retail price (RRP).
- Due to the illegal agreement, Sennheiser electronic, Sonova Consumer, and the involved employees have been accused of manipulating retail store prices since at least 2015, as mentioned in the press release "Bundeskartellamt verhängt Bußgelder wegen Preisabsprachen im Kopfhörergeschäft" by Bundeskartellamt (17/11/2022).
