Tesco promotion investigation

Tesco is facing two separate inquiries following claims that its cut-price alcohol promotions breached new consumer protection laws in the UK. Both trading standards officers and the ASA are involved, following a complaint by Labour MP Rosie Cooper.

The supermarket is accused of failing to ensure its stores had enough stock to meet demand for a promotion which offered Baileys, the cream liqueur, at £8 a bottle. The inquiry will look into the claim that Tesco kept its promotional banners in place, despite the fact that stock had already sold out. The second complaint also came from Cooper, who accused Tesco of pricing Jacob’s Creek at £6, despite advertising the wine for £3 a bottle.

A Tesco spokesperson commented, “We have hundreds of promotions running in our stores at any one time and unfortunately at busy periods such as Christmas the odd mistake can happen". Richard Dodd, head of media and campaigns for the British Retail Consortium, called for some leniency on retailers under pressure at the busiest time of year. He explained, “Offers are designed to attract sales, so it’s not surprising if they then sell out”.

The complaint is currently being assessed before a decision is made on whether to investigate the supermarket further.

Gabriel Savage 07.01.09