UK supermarkets are not likely to be misleading shoppers over loyalty pricing, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has found.
The watchdog, which began a probe of supermarket pricing in January, said in an update today that while the investigation is ongoing, there is a lack of evidence to suggest that promotions are unfair.
The UK’s largest supermarkets came under suspicion of profiteering when food prices surged in late 2021.
They started to offer discounted prices for those signed up to loyalty schemes such as the Tesco Clubcard, Sainsbury’s Nectar, Morrisons More and Lidl Plus, while non-members paid more.
The review was meant to question whether pricing practices for non-loyalty members were “artificially inflated” to appeal to and mislead shoppers.
Related Story
However, within the analysis, the CMA has said it has begun to question whether the ‘was’ and ‘now’ listings on certain items to indicate a savings deal are accurate as well as comparing prices within other supermarkets.
“We are also comparing a sample of supermarkets’ loyalty prices to those prices charged by other supermarkets at the same time,” the CMA wrote.
“Particularly given concerns raised by stakeholders, it is valuable for shoppers to have insight into how loyalty prices can compare with prices available elsewhere, including when they are on promotion at other retailers.”
British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson said the update highlights “once again” that “supermarkets are doing their best.”
She added: “We welcome the CMA’s update that they have not found widespread evidence of misleading loyalty promotions.
“Whether it’s everyday value, or loyalty schemes discounts, retailers know they have to demonstrate clear value to attract and retain customers.”
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
