07/12/2011
Four UK biggest Hypermarkets face prosecution over ‘price lies’
Misleading pricing strategies used by Britain’s four Hypermarkets – Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons have been exposed by Consumer organisation Which? for deceiving consumers on their lowest price claims. BBC Panorama programme will tonight (5 Dec at 20.30) reveal the deceptive tactics of the ‘Big Four’ to lure consumers into buying more than they intend to.
Studies undertaken by Which? and Panorama reveal that the price war of the Big Four is nothing but a psychological war and a marketing device to attract consumers and encourage them to buy more. The ‘lowest price’ claims have been found to be untrue, as profits of these hypermarkets have meanwhile rocketed.
Panorama presenter Sophie Raworth examines a 1.5kg tub of ‘Big Value’ Vanish stain remover costing £12 at Tesco. She compares it with 3 x 500g pots in the supermarket that cost just £3 each – totalling £9 only for the same amount of the product. Examples such as this can be found in all the branches of these Hypermarkets.
The Consumer Protection Bureau is able to confirm for example that at Asda, a pack of 30 cans of Coke is priced at £10.50. In the same shop, the pack of 15 cans of Coke is tagged at only £4. Such practices contribute to confuse consumers who end up paying more.
The Office of Fair Trading is being invited to look into these practices and take such action as may be deemed necessary to protect consumers’ interests.
