Amazon pressured Levi's, other retailers to hike prices, California A.G. says
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Amazon wanted to sell Levi’s Easy Khaki Classic pants for $29.99, but Walmart had lowered the price, and the giant online retailer had matched it at $25.47 to $26.99.But Amazon wasn’t happy.
It subsequently contacted Levi Strauss, asking the San Francisco apparel company to convince Walmart to raise its price, according to a document filed Monday in a price-fixing case brought against Amazon by California Atty.Gen.
Rob Bonta.Not only did Walmart raise its price, but a Levi Strauss employee also emailed Amazon, “I’m really hoping we can show this as a proof case so we can resolve issues going forward,” according to the filing.The exchange over the pricing of the khaki pants is just one example of about a dozen cited in the document, filed in support of a preliminary injunction Bonta is seeking against Amazon to stop alleged price fixing.Business California Atty.
Gen.Rob Bonta announces suit against Amazon for barring third-party merchants from offering lower prices on competing platforms.Bonta’s office argues that Amazon, which is the largest online retailer in the U.S.
and recorded $717 billion in global sales last year, is leveraging its market power to inflate retail prices on its and competing sites.“Amazon has strong-armed vendors into raising prices elsewhere or pulling products from competing retailers altogether so that Amazon can protect its profit margins,” Bonta said Monday at a news conference announcing the filing.“This takes money out of the pockets of California families every single day on everyday goods, ranging from diapers to clothing to furniture.”Bonta filed the lawsuit in 2022 in San Francisco Superior Court.
The preliminary injunction is being sought in advance of a trial set for January.A hearing on the request is set for July 23.Amazon said in a statement Monday that the legal motion is a “transparent attempt to distract from...