ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands – Last Friday, April 20, Accell Group, Gazelle and Giant have made their final plea to prove their innocence against the claim of the Dutch competition watchdog NMa. All parties involved, including the NMa again stood in Court for this case which started already in 2002. The Court’s verdict is expected in twelve weeks.
In this case Accell Group, Gazelle and Giant are convicted to pay hefty fines (Accell € 12.8 million; Gazelle €12.9 million and Giant € 3.9 million) after being charged with having made illegal price deals, creating a cartel in the Dutch bike market.
René Takens (right on photo), CEO of Accell Group said in a first reaction after the meeting: “We have all made our plea and I have not heard anything new. It becomes a repeating story. The judge only listened and asked some questions.”
Gazelle’s general manager Ruud Sjamaar (left on photo) was positive afterwards. “The decision of the NMa goes back to 2004 and refers to two meetings which were held to the interest of dealers as well as the consumers. We have confidence in the Court’s verdict and we expect that he will uphold our innocence."
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