German Cartel Office fines tyre distributors €11.9 million for price fixing

The German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) has imposed total fines of €11.9 million on three firms for illegal vertical price agreements in the tyre wholesale market. The companies—Maxxis International GmbH, Best4Tires Berlin GmbH and Reifen Müller GmbH & Co. KG—were accused of using a “margin‑guarantee” arrangement that set minimum margins for the sale of Maxxis and CST brand tyres, restricting dealers’ pricing freedom.

Cartel Office President Andreas Mundt said such practices, prohibited since the early 1970s, harm consumers. Maxxis, the sole German importer of Taiwanese‑made Cheng Shin Rubber tyres, and the two wholesalers cooperated with the investigation, which led to reduced penalties. The fines are not yet final and can be appealed to the Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf.