Asda issues apology after admitting breaking law on prices in supermarkets | UK | News

Supermarket giant Asda has issued an apology after making a major change to in-store prices that did not comply with consumer laws. Weetabix, dishwasher tablets, cotton swabs and tumble dryer sheets are among the products Express found whose price tags were not displayed correctly in store.

Normally, retailers are required to display the unit price on shelf labels to help consumers understand how expensive a product is; This is especially useful as manufacturers continue to reduce package sizes but often keep the sticker price the same; this is known as “downsizing”.

But shoppers reported in October that Asda began displaying labels without unit pricing on key items in stores.

Following reports on social media forum Reddit, the Express visited Pudsey Leeds Supercentre, a major Asda store, on Tuesday (November 24) and found and photographed several examples of labels that did not appear to comply with the legislation.

For example, a box of 72 Weetabix was displayed for “£6.50 each”, while a pack of 48 Weetabix was displayed for “£5.48 each”. A pack of 12 Weetabix is ​​listed for “£2 each”. None of these items showed price by weight or number on the box.

The 72-pack costs consumers 9 pence per biscuit, the 48-pack costs 11.4 pence per biscuit and the 12-pack costs 16.6 pence per biscuit.

In this way, we can deduce that Weetabix’s ‘cheapest’ box is actually the most expensive box, but this information is not given to customers as it legally should be.

Under the Price Marking Order 2004, retailers are required to display the price of a product by weight or volume and must be clearly displayed near the product.

Asda has now confirmed to the Express it is investigating the issue with shelf labels and will “provide a solution”.

Other items we found that do not have compatible shelf labels include:

• Calgon dishwasher tablets 15 pack – £5.98 each
• Calgon dishwasher tablets pack of 45 – £11.98 each
• Zip Value Pack fire lighters pack of 40 – £2.98 each
• Brave laundry capsules lavender and chamomile 70 pack – £14.98 each
• Johnson’s Baby Cotton Swabs regular 200 pack – £1.28 each
• Lenor Tumble Dryer Sheets 34 pack – £1.98 each
• Asda Wheat Biscuits 24 pack – £1.90 each
• Asda Wheat Bisks Chocolate 24 packs – £2.50 each
• Persil Capsule detergent capsules 48 pack – £8.98 each
• Lenor tumble dryer sheets summer 34 pack – £1.98 each

Trading Standards declined to comment on this specific case when contacted by Express but confirmed that count-packed goods (such as these examples) should be priced per biscuit or washing tablet.

The Ministry of Business and Trade states: “The PMO also requires traders to display the ‘unit price’, where applicable, which is the price that will be charged for the relevant unit of goods depending on how the goods are sold.

“Unit pricing can be a useful tool for consumers. It allows consumers to compare the price and value of similar products. This can be helpful when deciding between similar products sold in different sizes or quantities.

“For example, when choosing between three bottles of apple juice in different sizes, the unit price will inform consumers which bottle of juice is the cheapest or most expensive, allowing them to choose the one that best suits their needs.

“Pricing should be clearly displayed. This makes it easier for consumers to compare product prices.”

An Asda spokesperson told the Express: “We are aware that shelf edge labels, which are supposed to show the price per unit, do not carry the correct information on a minority of products.

“We are releasing a fix to resolve this issue and apologize for any inconvenience.”