Amazon Fined $10.7 Million by Italy Regulator for Alleged Unfair Trade Practice — Update

By Helena Smolak

Italy's competition watchdog fined Amazon $10.7 million for what it called unfair business practices related to a purchase option on the tech giant's Italian webpage.

The Italian Antitrust Authority, known as AGCM, said Wednesday that sanction follows an investigation that found that Amazon's preselection of an option to periodically buy a product instead of single purchase on its marketplace limited consumers' freedom of choice.

The Italian watchdog said that Amazon will compensate consumers who complained to Amazon about the conduct in 2023.

Amazon said it strongly disagrees with AGCM's sanction and would appeal the decision. Customers have saved more than EUR40 million on regular deliveries of items since the launch of its Subscribe & Save program in Italy, an Amazon spokesman said.

Write to Helena Smolak at helena.smolak@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 24, 2024 05:07 ET (09:07 GMT)

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