The Consumer Rights Protection Centre (CRPC), in the course of its market surveillance activities, including monitoring compliance with the Memorandum on Food Retail Trade, has updated and supplemented its Guidelines on the Indication of Prices for Goods and Services, including the implementation of fair commercial practices.
The purpose of the amendments is to promote clear, consistent and consumer-friendly price indication practices, while reducing the risk of misleading commercial practices. The updated guidelines will help traders apply legal requirements correctly and assist consumers in determining whether a discount, promotion or sale is genuine and justified.
The amendments mainly concern the following three areas:
1. Announcements of Price Reductions
The guidelines provide further clarification on how the validity period of an offer should be indicated, how such requirements apply in different situations, and explain the principles relating to the frequency of promotions and the extension of promotional periods.
2. Indication of the Original and Discounted Price
The guidelines clarify the situations in which traders must indicate both the original price and the discounted price, including in combined offers, volume-based discounts and other promotional formats.
3. Sales
The guidelines provide a more detailed explanation of the concept of a sale, the circumstances in which it may be applied, and the relevant requirements. Particular attention is given to the obligation to indicate the reason for a sale and the need to clearly distinguish a sale from ordinary promotional campaigns.
The CRPC reminds traders that price information must be clear, accurate and easily understandable for consumers. Misleading information about discounts, promotions or sales may influence consumer decisions and create risks of unfair competition in the market.
The CRPC invites businesses to review the updated Guidelines on the Indication of Prices for Goods and Services available on the CRPC website and to follow the principles set out therein in their day-to-day commercial practices.