Sports Direct has been reported to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over “misleading” pricing practices by Which?
Sports Direct has been reported to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over “misleading” pricing practices by the UK consumer-rights non-profit Which? The consumer group claims that it has identified “questionable and dodgy pricing tactics” on the retailer’s website.
Which? said it found products being sold on Sports Direct’s website with recommended retail prices (RRPs) “that appear to be misleading,” as it couldn’t find the products sold at the RRP price anywhere else online.
Sports Direct owner Frasers Group owns a portfolio of brands and retailers, including USC, Slazenger, Karrimor and Everlast, and sometimes appears to be the only seller of these brands.
For example, a pair of Slazenger men’s tennis shoes was selling on SportsDirect.com for £32.99 – nearly half the manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) of £64.99.
Which? said it found the trainers for sale on eight other websites, “but the owner or seller was always part of the parent company.” Those sites sold them for £32.99 or £33. Only one retailer, Slazenger itself, sold them at the MSRP of £64.99.
A spokesperson said it believed the practices it had uncovered “may be breaking the law.”
