Italy's antitrust agency fines Morellato $30 million for alleged sales restrictions

ROME, March 31 (Reuters) - Italy's competition authority has fined jewellery and watch-maker Morellato 25.9 million euros ($29.7 million) for alleged unfair restrictions on its sales distributors, the regulator said on Tuesday.

The watchdog said Morellato imposed resale prices by fixing maximum discount levels that retailers could apply on online sales, with specific pricing recommendations.

• Morellato imposed a restrictive agreement from July 20, 2018 to December 23, 2025 on its retailers, the regulator said.

• Its probe showed the company monitored distributors' prices and enforced compliance through a system of penalties and requests to withdraw discounts, including blocking orders and Amazon accounts as well as threats to terminate contracts.

• The investigation was opened in March 2025.

• Morellato also included an explicit clause in its distribution agreements stopping retailers from selling on third-party online platforms such as Amazon and eBay, the regulator added.

• The group is one of Italy's largest high-street jewellery and watch producers, whose proprietary or licensed brands include Sector No Limits, Philip Watch, Esprit and Trussardi.

• Morellato was not immediately available for comment

  ($1 = 0.8720 euros)