Lidl’s RRP claims fall foul of advertising regulator

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against Lidl by rival discounter Aldi over the RRP claims in a Lidl leaflet.

The leaflet inserted into a national newspaper for Lidl’s Black Friday sale, seen on 25 November 2021, featured a number of recommended retail price (RRP) claims: a Sharp 42” Full HD Android TV with a price of £259 and an RRP of £409.99; an Emma Original Mattress (single) with a price of £199.99 and an RRP of £499; an Emma Original Mattress (double) with a price of £329 and an RRP of £799, a Gtech Cordless Upright Vacuum Cleaner with a price of £99.99 and an RRP of £199.99, an ASUS 11.6” Chromebook Flip with a price of £149.99 and an RRP of £399.99; and a Beldray Steam Surge Pro Platinum iron with a price of £39.99 and an RRP of £79.99.

In its complaint, Aldi said the quoted RRPs differed significantly from the prices at which the items were generally sold, challenging whether the RRP claims could be substantiated and were misleading.

Responding to the regulator, Lidl said the prices in the leaflet were the prices at which the products were generally sold, adding that they believed consumers generally understood the meaning of RRPs and had used them to avoid suggesting that the products had previously been sold by Lidl at the higher price.

The ASA however noted that the RRPs set by the manufacturers did not constitute evidence that they were the prices at which the products in question were generally sold, except for the Gtech vacuum cleaner, concluding that the RRP and savings claims for other products had not been substantiated and were misleading.

“The ads must not appear again in the form complained about. We told Lidl Great Britain Ltd to ensure that that future references to RRPs reflected the price at which the products concerned were generally sold. We also told them to ensure that they held adequate evidence to substantiate their savings claims,” the regulator said.