Comco opens an investigation into the price of French books in Switzerland

The Competition Commission (Comco) has opened an investigation against the French publishing group Madrigall. It will examine whether it unlawfully limits the possibility for Swiss booksellers to obtain supplies in France on better terms.

The Payot group had filed a complaint in September against Madrigall, parent company of Gallimard, Flammarion or Casterman, for abuse of relative market power, recalls Comco in a press release published on Tuesday. He reproached him with preventing Swiss booksellers from procuring books in France at the French market price and under the usual French conditions.

>> Read again: The director of Payot files a complaint for an increase in the price of books

As part of the investigation, “Comco will examine whether Madrigall actually has relative market power towards the whistleblower and whether the company has behaved in an abusive manner within the meaning of the cartel law”, specifies the commission.

40 to 50% more expensive

In October, the boss of Payot Pascal Vandenberghe denounced an increase in the price of books and a distortion of competition. “Our objective is to lower the purchase price in order to be able to lower the selling price,” he explained.

“The problem, for the bookstore customer, is the price he sees printed on a book, for example 20 euros, and the one he has to pay, say 39 francs, he explains. And we, booksellers, we compare the purchase price of the book in France and in Switzerland and also note a differential of the order of 40 to 50%”, he added.

ats/asch

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