The government is launching a new consultation on pricing in the wake of the super-complaint into supermarket pricing practices by consumer group Which?
The plans are a response to the CMA investigation into the Which? allegations, originally made in April.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) will launch the consultation later this autumn to look at options to improve unit pricing - including measures to simplify existing unit pricing legislation.
The CMA report did not find systemic problems in the way that supermarkets display prices, and generally found retailers had been taking compliance seriously.
But the CMA did conclude unit price needed to be more legible on products so consumers can use it effectively to make a price comparison between similar products.
The CMA said it “plans to take action” where misleading promotions had been made.
“Shoppers need to be able to get the best deal and make comparisons easily so we will look at how we can make information on price as clear and as simple as possible,” said consumer minister Nick Boles.”The government takes the Competition and Market Authority’s findings and recommendations seriously and it is important that the supermarkets do too.”
BRC director of business and regulation Tom Ironside said: “We will be engaging positively with the government’s consultation on unit pricing, an area where we have been engaging positively with stakeholders for some time now.”
“These changes now need to be implemented without delay to ensure consumers are no longer subjected to misleading pricing practices. Cracking down on dodgy offers will be good for consumers and competition,” said Which? executive director Richard Lloyd.
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