// Tesco’s lack of clear pricing on some food and drink promotions “could be breaking the law”, according to Which?
// The supermarket giant said it is “disappointed” by the “ill-founded claims” from the consumer group
Which? has reported Tesco to the UK’s competition watchdog over the supermarket’s failure to provide detailed pricing information on its loyalty card offers which it said “could be breaking the law”.
The consumer group said the UK’s largest retailer had not clearly explained the unit price of deals for its Clubcard holders – such as the price per 100g or 100ml – so that shoppers could easily compare value for money between different sized packages, bottles, brands and retailers.
It said the lack of unit pricing could be a “misleading practice” under consumer protection regulations because it could make it difficult for shoppers to determine which was the cheapest product.
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In response, Tesco its price labelling has been “formally endorsed” by Trading Standards, after it asked to organisation to review its Clubcard Prices promotions. It added that it is “disappointed” by the “ill-founded claims” made by Which?
A spokesman for Tesco said: “Providing great value and clear pricing is really important to us.
“We always take care to ensure we are compliant which is why we asked Trading Standards to review our approach on Clubcard Prices.
“They formally endorsed our labelling, confirming it meets the current legal requirements and guidelines.
“We are supportive of calls for greater clarity on the regulations in this area, in the interests of both businesses and consumers, and are actively looking at how we can make the way we display pricing even clearer for our customers.
Which? head of food policy Sue Davies said: “Tesco’s unclear Clubcard pricing is at best confusing for shoppers struggling with soaring food inflation and at worst, could be breaking the law.”
The consumer group is urging Tesco to act now and introduce unit pricing on Clubcard prices as soon as possible to help shoppers find the best deals.
A CMA spokeswoman said: “Our current review of unit pricing is considering the issue of how supermarkets provide unit price information for products on promotions, including loyalty promotions. We will set out our findings in July”.
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