DB Apparel has been accused of price fixing by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), the British competition regulator, which has issued a “Statement of Objections” against its U.K. subsidiary, inviting the parties involved in the case to make their observations. The company, a maker of sports bras based in Rueil-Malmaison, near Paris, France, allegedly colluded with John Lewis, Debenhams and House of Fraser, three of the biggest British department store chains, between 2008 and 2011, to set a minimum resale price for its Shock Absorber brand. DB Apparel manufactures and distributes branded underwear mainly in Europe but also in Russia and Africa. Its other brands include Wonderbra, Fila and Unno. The three British retail chains involved in the case all have flagship stores on London's Oxford Street, the capital's main shopping avenue. Back in 2000, DB Apparel's Shock Absorber sports bra range famously featured the tennis player Anna Kournikova in an advertising campaign with the slogan “Only the ball should bounce.” This product range became one of the top-selling brands in Britain, with a market share of 15 percent, during the years now under scrutiny by the OFT. The four companies, which have all rejected the charges, have until November to reply to the accusations. The OFT. is expected to reach a final decision next year. The British regulator could impose fines of up to 10 percent of the companies' worldwide annual revenues if they are found to have infringed the Competition Act of 1998.

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