UK antitrust regulator finds illegal price-fixing of Rangers FC merchandise

:UK's competition watchdog said on Tuesday it had provisionally found that retailer companies Elite Sports and JD Sports, along with Rangers Football Club fixed retail prices of certain Rangers-branded clothing products.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Elite Sports and JD Sports fixed the retail prices of a number of Rangers-branded replica kits and other clothing products from September 2018 until at least July 2019.

"Rangers FC also took part in the alleged collusion but only to the extent of fixing the retail price of adult home short-sleeved replica shirts from September 2018 to at least mid-November 2018," CMA said in a statement.

The regulator said that all the three parties allegedly colluded to stop JD Sports undercutting the retail price of the shirt on Elite's Gers Online store.

CMA said Elite and JD applied for leniency during the regulatory probe and confessed to cartel activity. If the duo continues to cooperate with the investigation, each will get a reduction on any financial penalties the regulator might decide to impose, the regulator added.

Any business found to have infringed the prohibitions in the laws concerned can be fined up to 10 per cent of its annual worldwide group turnover.

Elite, JD Sports and Rangers FC did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comments.