Three retailers plead guilty to breaching sales pricing laws 

Stores ordered to make donations to charity following examination of prices during the Black Friday sales period

Lifestyle Sports was one of the companies ordered to make donations to charity after pleading guilty.  

Retailers LifeStyle Sports, DID Electrical, and Rath-Wood Home & Garden World in Carlow have all pleaded guilty to breaking sales pricing laws and have been ordered to make donations to charity, the competition authority has announced.

Under the legislation, retailers must provide clear and accurate pricing to allow consumers to compare prices and to make informed choices before they make a purchase.

These three prosecutions, which were launched in late November 2024, are the first under new laws which were brought in 2022. The new law requires traders to base any discount on the lowest price in at least the previous 30 days, and to display this price clearly on any price tag or advertisement.

Where traders fail to display prices clearly and accurately, or otherwise mislead consumers, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) said it will take enforcement action up to and including prosecution.

Black Friday sales

According to the CCPC, all three retailers were prosecuted following online sweeps conducted over the 2023-2024 winter sales season, including Black Friday.

Lifestyle Sports, DID Electrical Appliances, and Rath-Wood Home & Garden World were ordered to pay €1,000 each to the Little Flower Penny Dinners charity and to pay the costs of the CCPC.

The CCPC said that a number of other traders have been investigated and further prosecutions may follow.

The maximum fine per offence is €5,000. The total costs to the CCPC arising from these cases came to just under €9,500.

Brian McHugh, chair of the CCPC, said “misleading” sale discounts “harm consumers and harm competition”.

“It is vital that traders are transparent with consumers, displaying prices clearly and accurately. Businesses must be able to compete openly and honestly, and consumers must be able to shop with confidence.” 

The CCPC are seeking further amendments to the legislation which would allow them to impose bigger fines which could amount to a percentage of a business’s turnover.