Irish agents assisted German competition agency with raid as part of investigation
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) said it has also received assistance from its counterpart in Germany, Bundeskartellamt, in relation to the probe.
The investigation by the CCPC relates to a suspected resale price maintenance (RPM) arrangement between a manufacturer, a distributor and multiple retailers operating in Ireland.
Such an arrangement typically occurs where a supplier seeks to control the price at which a product is resold. That potentially restricts competition and harms consumers, noted the CCPC.
The watchdog declined to name the manufacturer involved.
The investigation is being carried out under the CCPC’s new competition law enforcement powers, which came into effect in September 2023.
Under the CCPC’s new administrative enforcement regime, independent adjudication officers of the CCPC may impose financial sanctions on a business which has been found to have breached competition law.
The watchdog can also now conduct dawn raids on foot of a District Court warrant, summon witnesses, examine witnesses under oath, and seize and retain any electronic or hardcopy books, documents or records relating to the business activities under investigation.
“As part of its investigation, the CCPC conducted an unannounced inspection at the premises of an Irish-based distributor in June 2025,” the CCPC said in relation to the small appliances probe.
“In collaboration with the German competition authority (Bundeskartellamt), an unannounced inspection was also carried out at the premises of a manufacturer located in Germany in November 2025,” it added.
Officers from the CCPC assisted the Bundeskartellamt in that raid.
A spokesperson from Bundeskartellamt has been asked for comment.
The CCPC said it has also issued formal requests for information to several retailers in Ireland.
The agency noted that it operates an administrative leniency programme. Under it, businesses may receive immunity from, or reductions in fines, if they reveal their involvement in resale price maintenance and fully cooperate with a CCPC investigation.
The CCPC undertakes a wide range of activities to counter potential anti-competitive practices.
Its last annual report, published last year, noted that it carried out dawn raids on two premises in 2024 as part of a cartel-related investigation into the home alarm industry. The CCPC was assisted in the raids by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and An Garda Síochána.
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