Coles and Woolworths Sued for Misleading Discount Claims

Australia's largest supermarket chains face legal action for allegedly inflating prices before offering false discounts on hundreds of everyday products.

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched separate lawsuits against Coles and Woolworths for allegedly misleading consumers with false discount promotions.
The ACCC claims the supermarkets temporarily raised prices of over 500 products before applying so-called discounts, making the new prices higher or the same as the original regular prices.
Products involved in the alleged misconduct include popular items like Tim Tams, Oreo cookies, and Kellogg's cereal, with the conduct spanning a 20-month period.
The ACCC is seeking significant fines, potentially up to 30% of the companies' turnover during the period of the alleged contraventions, and contributions to food charities.
This case follows previous ACCC actions against other companies for similar misleading pricing strategies, highlighting ongoing scrutiny of consumer protection laws.