Hasbro fined in price-fixing case, vows to appeal

PAWTUCKET – Hasbro Inc., the world’s second- largest toymaker, will appeal a 5.1 million-euro ($7.3 million) fine from France’s competition regulator over claims manufacturers and retailers conspired to fix the price of toys.
“We continue to believe that we did nothing wrong,” Hasbro spokesman Wayne Charness said in a December interview with Bloomberg News. “We will be vigorously appealing” the ruling.
Hasbro, based in Pawtucket, was one of eight companies fined a total of 37 million euros this month for using a French law banning retailers from selling products at a loss to inflate toy prices. Lego A/S and Carrefour SA also said they would appeal the ruling.
The ruling by the Paris-based Conseil de la Concurrence concluded a two-year investigation initiated by the French Economics Ministry.