FOLLOWS : " WE ASSURE YOU THAT IT IS OUR WISH TO PROTECT YOUR POSITION IN METZ , AS OUR ACTIONS HAVE SHOWN UNTIL NOW " .
( 31 ) AN ATF LETTER DATED 11 OCTOBER 1978 TO LE ROI DE LA TELE STATES : " AFTER NUMEROUS DISCUSSIONS AMONG OURSELVES AND AFTER OBTAINING THE ADVICE OF OUR LAWYERS , BOTH IN PARIS AND AT OUR HEADQUARTERS IN GERMANY , WE CONSIDER THAT WE ARE COMPELLED TO ESTABLISH OFFICIAL CONTACT WITH BOTH IFFLI AND VARIOUS OTHER RETAILERS WHO HAVE BEEN PRESSING US FOR SOME TIME . OUR HEAD OFFICE IN FRANKFURT HAS ORDERED US NOT TO LIMIT OUR CUSTOMER NETWORK TOO MUCH SO AS TO ENSURE THAT OUR DISTRIBUTION CONTRACT HAS MAXIMUM CREDIBILITY . WE HAVE REACHED THIS DECISION IN THE FACE OF PRESSURE FROM VARIOUS QUARTERS AND AFTER LENGTHY CONSIDERATION AND WE CAN ASSURE YOU THAT WE SHALL DO OUR UTMOST TO AVOID ANARCHY IN OUR DISTRIBUTION NETWORK ... . IT IS IN OUR COMMON INTEREST TO CUSHION THE ATTACKS MADE ON US BY COORDINATING AND ADAPTING OUR APPROACH TO ANY GIVEN SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES " .
( 32 ) WHEN IFFLI ATTEMPTED TO OBTAIN SUPPLIES OF AEG PRODUCTS , ATF WAS VERY RELUCTANT TO WITHDRAW THE TERRITORIAL PROTECTION WHICH LE ROI DE LA TELE IN METZ ENJOYED AND TO ADMIT IFFLI . FURTHERMORE , MR IFFLI WAS APPROVED ONLY AFTER HE HAD UNDERTAKEN TO ADHERE TO THE PRICES LAID DOWN BY ATF AND NOT TO ENGAGE IN A PRICE WAR WITH LE ROI DE LA TELE , WHICH HAD HITHERTO ENJOYED TERRITORIAL PROTECTION ( POINT 26 ABOVE ) .
RADIO DU CENTRE
( 33 ) ON 2 MARCH 1978 ATF WROTE TO THE WHOLESALER RADIO DU CENTRE , COURNUN , AS FOLLOWS : " FURTHER TO THE DISCUSSIONS YOU HAD LAST THURSDAY WITH OUR AREA REPRESENTATIVE ( COMMERCIAL INSPECTOR ) , WE CONFIRM THAT OUR COMMERCIAL OBJECTIVES IN THE COLOUR TELEVISION AND RADIO-ELECTROACOUSTICS SECTOR FOR 1978 OBLIGE US TO RECONSIDER OUR 1977 AGREEMENTS AS FAR AS THE ALLOCATION OF YOUR AREA OF ACTIVITY FOR OUR BRAND IS CONCERNED . WITH REGARD TO THE PUY-DE-DOME DEPARTMENT , WE THINK ... THAT THE PROPOSAL MADE BY OUR EMPLOYEE IS JUSTIFIED , NAMELY A JOINT OPERATION BY YOUR COMPANY AND SNER , YOUR FELLOW DISTRIBUTOR IN ROANNE . CONSEQUENTLY , WE MODIFY BELOW THE DEPARTMENTAL LIST SET OUT IN OUR LETTER OF 20 OCTOBER 1977 . YOU ARE AWARE OF OUR CONCERN TO MAINTAIN A POLICY OF FIXED PRICES . YOU MAY REST ASSURED THAT WE SHALL FOLLOW THE SAME COURSE IN FUTURE " .
LAMA
( 34 ) AN ATF LETTER DATED 23 OCTOBER 1978 TO THE WHOLESALER LAMA , PARIS , READS AS FOLLOWS : " ALTHOUGH CERTAIN CHAIN STORES , SUCH AS CART/EXPERT IN FRANCE , HAVE A NETWORK OF RETAILERS , THE LATTER ARE MERELY RESELLERS WHO ENJOY PEACE OF MIND ONLY IN RESPECT OF A VERY SMALL SALES AREA . IN THE CASE OF WHOLESALERS ,