<div id="readability-page-1"><div>The Italian competition authority said on Tuesday it had opened two investigations into Swiss watchmaker Swatch and Japan's Citizen Watch .The probes involve an alleged infringement of European rules on the fixing of retail prices displayed online by the groups' authorised distributors. The two companies may be limiting price competition among their retailers through a vertical agreement, by imposing retail prices on their distributors and adopting &#34;retaliatory commercial measures&#34; against those that fail to comply, the antitrust authority said in a statement. The agency's officials carried out inspections at the Italian offices of Swatch and Citizen on December 3.Swatch and Citizen did not immediately respond to a request for comment. </div></div>

SWGAY

The Italian competition authority is investigating Swatch and Citizen for alleged infringement of European pricing rules. The probes focus on potential price fixing by the companies' distributors, possibly limiting competition through vertical agreements and retaliatory measures. Inspections were conducted at their Italian offices, and both companies have yet to comment.

Swatch and Citizen face Italian scrutiny over pricing practices