Supermarkets face price offer fines

The Competition & Markets Authority has served notice on supermarkets to clean up their act on price offers, after an ongoing investigation – triggered by evidence gathered by Which? – found that many promotions are deliberately confusing.
Although the CMA says the practice is not widespread, its initial probe of 150,000 products has exposed about 800 offers which could be in breach of consumer law, and is pledging to fine supermarkets if they are found to be doing so.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, CMA Nisha Arora, said: “There is a lack of clarity around unit pricing, and around the legislation and guidance which means consumers do find it hard to work out what the best deal is for them, in particular around promotions.
“That is why we are asking the Government to consider simplifying and clarrifying the legislation around unit pricing to make it easier for consumers to use. If our ongoing investigation find breaches of consumer law that can lead to enforcement action.”
At the time Which? handed over its evidence, it claimed misleading price promotions are costing shoppers hundreds of millions of pounds every year.
Supermarkets have insisted that instances of misleading pricing are rare and are usually the result of an error.
A spokesman for the British Retail Consortium claimed the examples were “very specific in nature” and “not in any way indicative of broader systemic problems across the retail industry”.