UK: Regulator warns supermarkets over ‘confusing’ price offers

Supermarkets are misleading customers with confusing pricing promotions that could be against the law, a competition watchdog has found.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had found “areas of poor practice that could confuse or mislead shoppers” and was taking measures to help make sure grocers complied with the rules.

It warned of enforcement action where there was evidence of breaches of consumer law.

The report comes after a three-month probe sparked by a complaint from consumer group Which? that raised concerns about confusing and misleading promotions and a lack of easily comparable prices.

Nisha Arora, CMA senior director for the consumer sector, said: “We have found that, while supermarkets want to comply with the law and shoppers enjoy a wide range of choices, with an estimated 40 per cent of grocery spending being on items on promotion, there are still areas of poor practice that could confuse or mislead shoppers.

“So we are recommending further action to improve compliance and ensure that shoppers have clear, accurate information.”

The CMA found that the problems raised by the investigation were “not occurring in large numbers across the whole sector” and that retailers were taking compliance seriously.

Full content: The Financial Times

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