French luxury house Hermes HRMS.PA has been sued in California over claims it unlawfully allows only customers with "sufficient purchase history" with the company to buy its famed Birkin handbags.
Hermes is violating antitrust law by 鈥渢ying鈥 the sale of one item to the purchase of another, two California residents alleged in the proposed federal class-action lawsuit filed on Tuesday in San Francisco.
The company's sales associates are driving the scheme by pushing customers to buy shoes, scarves, jewelry and other items to gain an opportunity to buy a Birkin, the lawsuit said.
Hermes and attorneys for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit calls the Birkin handbags, long seen as a status symbol, an 鈥渋con of fashion.鈥
Consumers cannot purchase a Birkin online from Hermes, and the leather bags, which are handcrafted and can cost thousands of dollars each, are not displayed for sale in the company鈥檚 retail stores, according to the lawsuit.
鈥淭ypically, only those consumers who are deemed worthy of purchasing a Birkin handbag will be shown a Birkin handbag (in a private room),鈥 the lawsuit claimed.
Hermes sales associates do not earn commissions on Birkin bag sales and are instructed to use the handbags "as a way to coerce consumers to purchase ancillary products," according to the complaint.
The lawsuit said it was seeking class action status for thousands of U.S. consumers who bought Hermes goods or were asked to buy them in order to purchase a Birkin.
Hermes operates about 43 stores in the United States, including eight in California.
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages and a court order barring Hermes' allegedly anticompetitive practices.
(Reporting by Mike Scarcella, Editing by David Bario and Bill Berkrot)
With the U.S. election widely predicted to be a close race, some believe American voters in Canada and overseas will be crucial in helping elect the new president about a month from now.
Canadian figure skater Nikolaj Sorensen has been suspended for at least six years for 'sexual maltreatment,' the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner announced Wednesday.
As Hurricane Helene roared outside, the wind howling and branches snapping, John Savage went to his grandparents' bedroom to make sure they were OK.
Drug smuggling is the main industry for Mexican cartels, but migrant smuggling is turning into a financial windfall. In this fourth instalment of CTV W5's 'Narco Jungle: The Death Train,' Avery Haines is in Juarez where she speaks with one of the human smugglers known as 'coyotes.'
A B.C. man has been ordered to pay a total of $4,000 to a Coquitlam company and its two owners because of a negative review he posted on Google.
The Israeli military on Thursday warned people to evacuate a city and other communities in southern Lebanon that are north of a UN-declared buffer zone, signalling that it may widen a ground operation launched earlier this week against the Hezbollah militant group.
An Ontario family was planning a religious trip to Saudi Arabia that included 10 people, but when they were checking in for their flights, the family discovered some of their tickets were fake.
The federal government's decision to not provide Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine this respiratory virus season raises health equity concerns, experts and advocates say, as some Canadians look to the U.S. to get the shot.
In less than a year, an Alberta woman has gone from gracing the stage at her first pageant to competing at the Mrs. Universe pageant in South Korea. She's making history by becoming the first Canadian veteran to compete internationally.
An increasing number of Ontario school boards are reporting deficits and are using or even depleting their reserves, according to internal Ministry of Education briefing documents.
With the U.S. election widely predicted to be a close race, some believe American voters in Canada and overseas will be crucial in helping elect the new president about a month from now.
An Ontario family was planning a religious trip to Saudi Arabia that included 10 people, but when they were checking in for their flights, the family discovered some of their tickets were fake.
Alberta will not allow the sale of liquor in grocery and convenience stores, the province announced on Wednesday.
Three suspects are now in custody, including the person who police say shot and injured an officer during a robbery investigation in midtown Toronto on Wednesday afternoon.
A B.C. man has been ordered to pay a total of $4,000 to a Coquitlam company and its two owners because of a negative review he posted on Google.
U.S. authorities charged five Chinese nationals with lying and trying to cover their tracks, more than a year after they were confronted in the dark near a remote Michigan military site where thousands of people had gathered for summer drills.
Iran's ballistic missile attack on Israel caused few casualties and little damage, but it marked a further escalation of tensions in the Middle East as Israeli forces battle Tehran's militant allies in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Here's what we know.
Liz Cheney, one of Donald Trump's fiercest Republican antagonists, will join Democrat Kamala Harris at a campaign event in Wisconsin on Thursday aimed at reaching out to moderate voters and rattling the former president.
Vietnam condemned China on Thursday while saying that Chinese law enforcement personnel assaulted 10 Vietnamese fishermen, damaged their fishing gear and seized about four tons of fish catch near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
Thousands sang, cheered and prayed as multiple preachers declared Donald Trump to be God's favoured candidate to defeat what one called the 鈥渇orces of darkness.鈥
A boat carrying scores of passengers capsized on Lake Kivu in eastern Congo on Thursday, killing at least 50 people, witnesses told The Associated Press.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is headed to France today to attend the Francophonie summit, where the shadow of a wider war in the Middle East will likely loom large over the meeting of French-speaking countries.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet says his ultimatum to the government stands, after the Liberals voted against a motion seeking money to boost seniors' benefits on Wednesday.
The latest Nanos numbers show Pierre Poilievre and the federal Conservative Party have opened up a significant lead, and Justin Trudeau鈥檚 Liberals have fallen back into a statistical tie with the NDP.
The federal government's decision to not provide Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine this respiratory virus season raises health equity concerns, experts and advocates say, as some Canadians look to the U.S. to get the shot.
A woman with the rare condition of two uteruses delivered twins, one from each womb, last month at a hospital in northwestern China, according to health officials and state media.
A medallion containing some of the original mould involved in the discovery of penicillin is expected to fetch up to US$50,000 when it goes up for auction later this month.
Amazon Web Services鈥 director of global artificial intelligence is encouraging Canada not to go it alone when it comes to regulating the technology.
The bracket for 2024's Fat Bear Week contest was revealed Tuesday night, but only after a deadly bear-on-bear attack at Alaska鈥檚 Katmai National Park and Preserve on Monday delayed the unveiling.
Three years after the 30-year-old South Korean woman received a barrage of online fake images that depicted her nude, she is still being treated for trauma. She struggles to talk with men. Using a mobile phone brings back the nightmare.
A northeastern Ontario jury is expected to hear closing arguments today in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial.
A San Diego doctor became the third person to plead guilty in the case of Matthew Perry's fatal drug overdose, as prosecutors collect cooperators in an attempt to convict two bigger targets they say are responsible for the death of the 'Friends' star.
If all you want for Christmas is Mariah Carey and her famous holiday single, you need to wait.
Transat A.T. Inc. is preparing to lay off up to 80 workers as the tour operator struggles to turn its finances around, according to a preliminary notice sent to the Quebec government.
New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.
Enbridge Inc. says it will spend about US$700 million to build new crude oil and natural gas pipelines in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico for the Kaskida development, operated by BP Exploration & Production Co.
What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.
In less than a year, an Alberta woman has gone from gracing the stage at her first pageant to competing at the Mrs. Universe pageant in South Korea. She's making history by becoming the first Canadian veteran to compete internationally.
In late August, U.K. television personality Kirstie Allsopp found herself in an unexpected media storm after a series of her social media posts describing her 15-year-old son's trip through Europe without adult supervision went viral.
Days after being suspended by FIFA, Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez produced heroics in front of the watching Prince William as Aston Villa sealed another famous win against Bayern Munich.
The claim to Shohei Ohtani's potentially lucrative 50th home run ball grew more complicated this week, with a second fan filing a lawsuit asserting he had possession of the historic baseball.
The men's final of this year鈥檚 China Open was billed as a battle between two titans and it definitely didn't disappoint.
Canadian-made Chrysler Grand Caravans have seen sales jump over the third quarter and calendar year. According to FCA Canada, sales were up by 79 per cent this quarter and up 85 per cent for the calendar-year to date.
A Pickering, Ont., student going to college to be a mechanic is shocked the engine in his two-year-old car will not be repaired under warranty after the dealership claimed he had been 'over-revving' the engine.
General Motors鈥 Cruise autonomous vehicle division will pay a US$1.5 million penalty after the unit failed to fully report a crash involving a pedestrian, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday.
The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.
Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north
What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.
The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.
New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.
On Saturday night at her parents鈥 home in Delaware, Ont. the Olympic bronze medallist in pole vault welcomed everyone who played a role in getting her to the podium in Paris.
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.
A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.
New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.
The moment the writ was dropped for the Oct. 19 election, candidates all over B.C. began putting up campaign signs. By the following day, many of those signs had already been stolen or vandalized, and that鈥檚 continuing today.
What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.
An Ontario family was planning a religious trip to Saudi Arabia that included 10 people, but when they were checking in for their flights, the family discovered some of their tickets were fake.
There is a heavy police presence at a Midtown apartment building this morning after a Toronto police officer was shot in the area on Wednesday night.
An increasing number of Ontario school boards are reporting deficits and are using or even depleting their reserves, according to internal Ministry of Education briefing documents.
A new report from the Calgary Foundation paints a concerning picture of the city's quality of life, highlighting rising costs, housing challenges and safety concerns.
A severed cable near Calgary is to blame for a phone and internet outage throughout the Rocky View Schools District, a statement from the school board said.
Thursday will be very similar to Wednesday, but with less wind and fewer clouds in southern Alberta.
Several schools are closed in Kemptville, Ont. today as police investigate a threat targeting a Catholic high school in the community.
OC Transpo will be providing an update today on the Trillium Line LRT, including an anticipated start date for trial running.
Most Canadians want employers to be flexible on hybrid work policies in the future, saying work-from-home arrangements enhance employee productivity and well-being, according to a new survey.
Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barette announced on Wednesday evening, in a highly original move, that the Quebec government was preparing to legislate on the sharing of intimate images without consent.
Eva Abdul Khalek is grateful. Her cat Luigi survived a fall from their 11th-floor balcony. The family believes the cat snuck out, likely through the balcony door that was left open.
An 82-year-old man has serious injuries after being struck by a vehicle while crossing the street in Montreal.
In less than a year, an Alberta woman has gone from gracing the stage at her first pageant to competing at the Mrs. Universe pageant in South Korea. She's making history by becoming the first Canadian veteran to compete internationally.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she wants to depoliticize the debate around upcoming legislation affecting transgender youth, but a federal minister says that's not possible.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) continues to recruit more doctors to Hinton, which has suffered multiple interruptions at its health-care centre this year.
A Nova Scotia town which relies on tourists is feeling the impacts of cancelled ferry crossings to Prince Edward Island.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) seized more than 13,000 pounds of lobster 鈥 worth more than $100,000 鈥 from a facility in Shelburne County, N.S., on Wednesday.
An old motel on Highfield Park Drive in Dartmouth, N.S., is being demolished after sitting vacant for a number of years.
A man has died and Manitoba's police watchdog is investigating after an officer-involved shooting Wednesday afternoon.
The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has apologized to defence lawyers for comments he made in ousting one of his caucus members.
Regina city councillors heard an update from administration on the Lawson Aquatic Centre replacement at Executive Committee Wednesday.
The federal government announced plans to include contraception in their National Pharmacare plan earlier this year, and one Saskatchewan advocacy group is hopeful the province will jump on board.
When Saskatchewan Roughriders kicker, Brett Lauther, takes to the field at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on Saturday it will mark his hundredth career Canadian Football League (CFL) game.
Renters in Kitchener, Ont. have joined with a local tenants union to call out the 'largest renovictor in Ontario.'
What happened to two Ontario men who left on a fishing trip 57 years ago and never returned home? That's something police say could be answered with a DNA sample.
The family-owned business, which has been a fixture on Arthur Street South since 1927, made the difficult decision to shut down following a smash and grab robbery back in June.
A Saskatoon-based political scientist doesn't expect Saskatchewan's provincial election to be dominated by large issues, explosive events or political fireworks prior to voting day on Oct. 28.
A Saskatoon photographer is hoping to make some love connections through a unique blind dating. The idea came out of a need to help singles get offline and back to real in-person connections.
The jury at the trial of a second-degree murder suspect in Sudbury on Wednesday heard graphic details of the crime scene discovered in a Kathleen Street apartment on Boxing Day 2020.
An Ontario family was planning a religious trip to Saudi Arabia that included 10 people, but when they were checking in for their flights, the family discovered some of their tickets were fake.
A B.C. man has been ordered to pay a total of $4,000 to a Coquitlam company and its two owners because of a negative review he posted on Google.
An investigation is underway at London's safe consumption site after someone who visited the facility died.
According to police, the police vehicle was parked on the shoulder in a construction zone with its lights activated when it was struck by a tractor trailer traveling east.
A drop-in shelter for women and gender-nonconforming Londoners living unsheltered is closing its doors in the Old East Village and transitioning to an outreach service.
Ward 1 Councillor Clare Riepma will be docked 15 days' pay and was sternly reprimanded for violating the City of Barrie's code of conduct on two separate occasions.
An Aurora, Ont. man who has maintained his innocence despite being convicted of killing his wife will learn his fate in a Newmarket courtroom on Wednesday.
Police responded to serious crash in Melanthon Township.
Police in Chatham are advising the public of a road closure. The intersection of Queen Street and Park Avenue is closed because of downed power lines.
WARNING: This article contains content some may find offensive. Reader鈥檚 discretion is advised.
Described as a "bubble on the edge of bursting," Windsor's emergency shelters are approaching maximum capacity much earlier than expected this year.
The moment the writ was dropped for the Oct. 19 election, candidates all over B.C. began putting up campaign signs. By the following day, many of those signs had already been stolen or vandalized, and that鈥檚 continuing today.
DoorDash is increasing fees in British Columbia in response to recently passed provincial legislation.
A grassroots campaign to end gender-based violence has sent a letter to BC Conservative Leader John Rustad informing him it is withdrawing permission for him to wear its symbol.
Three young suspects have been arrested in connection with a swarming attack on a teenager in B.C.'s Okanagan last week 鈥 and authorities have asked the public to stop circulating disturbing videos of the incident.
A father in Kelowna is furious after his 13-year-old daughter was brutally beaten on Gyro Beach. He is calling for criminal charges in the devastating attack, which was caught on video by multiple bystanders.
The officer who shot and killed a forcible confinement suspect in Kamloops two years ago was justified in doing so, according to the Independent Investigations Office of B.C.
Hearings on a proposed coal project in Alberta's Crowsnest Pass will go ahead despite legal challenges.
A Lethbridge man is facing several charges after a traffic stop led to the seizure of drugs and weapons.
From offering two meals a week to three a day, the Lethbridge Soup Kitchen has grown immensely over the past 40 years.
A northeastern Ontario jury is expected to hear closing arguments today in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial.
City council in Sault Ste. Marie has decided to purchase the former general hospital site, with an eye on demolishing the property and selling it to a buyer serious about redevelopment.
A woman who has worked for 麻豆传媒 Northern Ontario for 50 years was honoured Tuesday night with a lifetime achievement award.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
A mother in a community where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country says grocery prices are 'inhumane' and retailers are putting profits ahead of people鈥檚 basic human right to food.
A soccer game in England on Tuesday night drove a spike in online traffic across the Atlantic to a website launched by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.
