Morrisons, Aldi, Sainsbury’s and Tesco law change hits supermarkets | Personal Finance | Finance

Morrisons, Aldi, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, as well as Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and all other major supermarkets will follow a change of legislation introduced in April.

Every major supermarket must comply with new government-imposed retail rules that set out how products must be labeled on shelves under the Price Marking Scheme reforms.

The change in law governs the way product prices are displayed, with a particular focus on making it easier for customers to compare two or more products and find out which is cheapest.

This is because the lowest price is not always the cheapest, as items can have different package sizes, different weights, or different item quantity volumes, and in recent years manufacturers have increasingly turned to reducing item sizes or volumes while keeping the price the same (or even increasing it), in a practice called “downsizing.”

Last year The Express reported that Asda was selling products unlawfully for several weeks until it updated its labels on shelves and issued an apology following our report.

The Price Marking Order 2004 has been updated to further change the rules on unit pricing as of April 2026.

The changes standardized unit ratios and banned the practice of mixing two different measurements on the same shelf; for example, some retailers were pricing one product in KG and another in grams, making comparisons even more difficult. It will now be mandatory to use KG, liter, meter, square meter or cubic meter on all price labels.

Loyalty schemes such as Tesco Clubcard and Sainsbury’s Nectar Card are also now subject to new rules; including making it illegal to give “undue importance” to loyalty prices on shelf labels.

Lawyer Herrington Carmichael said: “Where a product is offered at more than one price, such as a standard price and a loyalty price, traders must display both selling prices together and the corresponding unit price for each when unit pricing is applied. Traders must state eligibility conditions clearly and alongside the prices, for example ensuring that the loyalty price is available with a valid loyalty card and that no price stands out unnecessarily.”

The law was also expanded to cover more products.

The firm added: “The obligations cover more packaged goods, including cereals, pasta, dried fruit, detergents, cleaning products and cosmetics. This is to support similar comparisons across a wider range of everyday products.”

The rules do not apply to small stores with a floor area of ​​less than 280 m2; therefore, it does not apply to corner shops and grocery stores.

The law would also allow blanket discounts, such as “20% off all paints,” without forcing retailers to change every label.

Herrington Carmichael added: “The Price Marking Order 2004 is designed to ensure that consumers can make informed purchasing decisions by requiring clear and transparent price information. This is particularly important where products are sold in different sizes or where promotions, discounts and loyalty pricing apply.”

“…the aim behind the recent Price Marking Order reforms is to strengthen this transparency. The changes expand the scope of unit pricing to more product categories, clarify how sales and unit prices should be displayed where more than one price applies, and introduce updated definitions, including a new requirement for deposits to be displayed separately.”