CMA launches supermarket pricing review
It previously considered pricing and promotional practices in the groceries market following the 2015 Groceries Super-complaint
The CMA is set to review unit pricing practices online and instore within the grocery sector, after deciding that customers “need confidence that they have the right information to make great choices and are getting fair deals”.
Unit pricing shows how much a particular product costs by weight or volume, helping people identify the best value for money. The authority said it is important that shoppers who look at the prices “should be able to compare like for like”.
This, together with recent concerns raised by stakeholders, has led the CMA to revisit the issue of unit pricing.
It previously considered pricing and promotional practices in the groceries market following the 2015 Groceries Super-complaint, where it concluded that “complexities and inconsistencies with unit pricing may prevent people from spotting which deal gives them the best value”.
Following that, the latest project will consider the following:
- if the unit pricing issues identified during the 2015 Super-complaint remain
- compliance with the law by retailers
- consumer awareness and use of unit pricing information
The CMA noted the project is at an early stage and it has not yet formed a view on these issues, but will provide an update later this year.
George Lusty, senior director for Consumer Protection at the CMA, said: “We know that the increased cost of living has hit the pound in people’s pockets. That’s why we’re pressing on with this important grocery unit pricing work to ensure shoppers can more easily compare prices and make choices that are right for them.”
Sue Davies, Which? head of Food Policy, added: “Grocery prices are a huge concern as households all over the country grapple with the cost of living crisis, so it’s timely and important for the CMA to be looking at whether prices are clearly and fairly displayed at the supermarket.
“We know poor, inconsistent and sometimes missing price information is a problem and that’s why Which? is campaigning for pricing transparency from supermarkets, so that shoppers can easily work out which products are the best value.”
