Sennheiser and Sonova have been firmly reprimanded by the German competition authority and are required to pay a fine of approximately 6 million euros.
Since around 2015, Sennheiser — according to findings by the German cartel office — pressured retailers not to sell their products below the suggested retail price. After the takeover of Sennheiser’s consumer division by Sonova Consumer Hearing Sales GmbH, the new owner initially continued this practice. As a result, both companies influenced the prices ultimately paid by consumers over a period of several years. This is prohibited under German law, hence the hefty fine of 6 million euros. The amount was ultimately kept relatively low because both companies fully cooperated with the investigation.
One open question remains: what’s the situation like in other countries?