Coles Misled Shoppers With ‘Down Down’ Discounts, Court Finds
A customer browses the gourmet cheese and deli section at a Coles supermarket in Melbourne, Australia.
Photographer: Sarah Pannell/BloombergAustralian supermarket giant Coles Group Ltd. misled customers with its “Down Down” discount campaign, a Federal Court judge has ruled, mounting fresh scrutiny on supermarket pricing amid a cost-of-living squeeze.
Coles breached consumer law by promoting discounts that were not genuine, because the higher “was” prices had been in place for too short a period to justify the advertised savings, Justice Michael O’Bryan said in Thursday’s decision.