Brown Thomas Arnotts avoids conviction after pricing law breaches during Black Friday sales
Tom Tuite
Brown Thomas Arnotts Ltd has been spared a recorded conviction for breaching pricing laws during Black Friday sales.
At Dublin District Court, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) prosecuted the department store group, which operates at several prominent locations, including on Grafton Street and Henry Street in Dublin.
On January 26th, Judge Michael Ramsey ordered the firm to pay €1,000 to the Little Flower Penny Dinners charity and costs to the CCPC by Monday.
Otherwise, Brown Thomas Arnotts would, in default, be convicted and fined €1,000, payable within three months.
Judge Anthony Halpin presiding noted that the company had complied with the direction given by his colleague. Accordingly, he struck out the case.
The proceedings resulted from CCPC online sweeps conducted between October and December 2024, including during the Black Friday sales period.
This case follows a series of prosecutions brought by the consumer watchdog under sales pricing laws introduced in 2022.
On or about December 1st, 2024, a Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic 47 Silver on the Brown Thomas site was listed as reduced from €459 to €379, even though it had already been on sale at the retail outlet for €369 a few weeks earlier.
On or about November 28th, on the Arnotts website, a 65-inch Samsung television was advertised at a special Black Friday price of €1,699, claimed to be reduced from €2,899, but had actually been sold by the chain in previous weeks for €1,649.
Also around that time, a 55-inch Sony Bravia 8 T, also featured on arnotts.ie as a special deal at €2,399, had incorrectly shown a “reduced from” price of €2,599, even though it had recently been offered for €1,799.
Similarly, the issue arose with the sale of Sennheiser Accentum White ANC headphones on November 16th.
Under the law, traders must base any discount on the lowest price in the previous 30 days and must display this prior price clearly on any price tag or advertisement.
Last year, Lifestyle Sports, DID Electrical, Rathwood and Boots also pleaded guilty to breaking sales pricing laws.
Earlier, Patrick Kenny, Commission Member at the CCPC, said this action "marks another important outcome for the CCPC in ensuring consumers can shop with confidence, and that retailers can compete fairly on a level playing field.
__________________________________________
As part of a pilot project BreakingNews.ie has used AI to suggest headline options for this article. The final headline was chosen and edited by BreakingNews.ie journalists. Find out more
