France fines parcel firms €672m over price fixing
Geodis, owned by French railway company SNCF, received the largest single penalty of €196.1m, while La Poste’s Chronopost was fined €99.2m and DHL’s French unit must pay €81.2m, France’s Autorité de la Concurrence said .
The French competition authority said 20 companies and an industry group co-ordinated annual rate increases from 2004 and 2010 and 15 of the companies also colluded on a fuel surcharge from 2004 to 2006.
Regulators reduced fines for six smaller parcel firms due to financial difficulties.
Yesterday’s penalties include a €44.9m fine for DPD, also owned by La Poste, while FedEx was fined €17m and TNT was ordered to pay €58.5m, the French authority said.
Deutsche Bahn blew the whistle on the cartel in late 2008, regulators said and Kuehne + Nagel International’s Alloin unit came forward with more evidence in 2010.
Deutsche Post spokesman Daniel McGrath said the company received the decision and is reviewing it.
La Poste, SNCF, TNT, and FedEx did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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