Ever been to a gas station? That raised the price multiple times a day just like the other gas stations a few hundred yards away? Same principle. Doesn't need price fixing as explanation. They are just all buying the same raw product.
Ever been to a gas station? That raised the price multiple times a day just like the other gas stations a few hundred yards away? Same principle. Doesn't need price fixing as explanation. They are just all buying the same raw product.
For your alternative explanation to be true, it would require that all the 8 retail chains would have the exact same margin by natural, fair chance - and, cumulatively by fair chance, increment prices by exactly the same amount, at exactly the same time...
Better play the lottery.
It's trivial for every large retail store to just send someone to look at their competitor's prices and price at the same mark.
This is not feasible to do for B2B only products, such as bulk LCD panels, so it's a lot easier to prove pre-arranged price-fixing.