Biel/Bienne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swatch Group, which owns the parts-making company ETA Manufacture Horlogère SA, has responded publicly with dismay to news of a new Comco investigation into the impact of its dominant position in the market.

Comco, the Swiss federal competition commission, says it has received numerous complaints since ETA announced in the autumn of 2008 that it would be raising its prices and changing payment conditions. Swatch, for its part, says it hopes that this investigation will “again be positive for ETA”, referring to a 2003 investigation that ended with an agreement between the ETA and Comco.

The group nevetheless argues that “the timing for such an investigation seems unfortunate. Since approximately once year, the majority of the external ETA clients have massively cancelled or postponed their orders, without any consideration for the ETA personnel, its infrastructure nor the investments which have been considerable also at ETA due to the continuous pressure of the COMCO as a consequence of the complaints from third parties.” (translation, Swatch, from the German)

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