Top Stories | Coles found to have misled consumers with their 'Down Down' sales pricing

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The Federal Court ruled that Coles deliberately misled consumers with its “Down Down” in‑store promotions, finding 13 of 14 examined discount tickets to be deceptive because the “was” prices shown were not offered for a reasonable period, resulting in non‑genuine discounts; the case, brought by the ACCC, mirrors a similar legal challenge against Woolworths over “prices dropped” promotions, with both retailers accused of briefly raising prices before marketing them as lower, while Coles argued some price rises were due to inflationary supplier costs—though the judge noted that the discounts were presented in a misleading manner, opening the way for significant penalties against the $28 billion supermarket chain.

Read more: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/coles-found-to-have-misled-consumers-with-their-down-down-sales-pricing/d1xqu90h6

#Coles #FederalCourt #ACCC #Woolworths #MichaelOBryan

English – The Conversation | Coles’ discounts misled shoppers, court rules. It could face hundreds of millions in fines by Jeannie Marie Paterson, Professor of Law (consumer protections and credit law), The University of Melbourne

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Coles has been ruled by Federal Court Justice Michael O Bryan to have misled shoppers with its “Down Down” discount tickets, finding that 13 of 14 sampled promotions were not genuine because the pre‑discount prices had not been in place for a reasonable period (at least 12 weeks) before the sale, contravening Australian consumer law; the ACCC, which sued both Coles and Woolworths for similar practices, gave the retailers until 29 May to agree on penalties that could total hundreds of millions of dollars—potentially up to A$50 million per breach—while a separate class‑action case proceeds, and the judgment, which may still be appealed, signals a watershed for Australian retail, requiring marketers to base advertised discounts on stable, longer‑term pricing and prompting heightened scrutiny of other sectors such as fuel retailers.

Read more: https://theconversation.com/coles-discounts-misled-shoppers-court-rules-it-could-face-hundreds-of-millions-in-fines-282855

#Coles #FederalCourt #ACCC #Woolworths #Australianretailers #MichaelOBryan