Tesco has faced criticism from the UK’s advertising standards watchdog for “misleading” consumers over adverts that compared prices at the retailer with those at rivals Asda and Morrisons.
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The Advertising Standards Authority has ordered Tesco to pull two ads that contrasted prices at the retailers of a shopping trolley of goods.
In one ad, Tesco showed a trolley of goods and used text stating: “Asda GBP76.15. Tesco GBP49.59. Why pay more at Asda? Includes Tesco products on promotion”. A second, similar advert was aimed at Morrisons.
The ASA ruled the ads misled consumers because they inferred that Tesco was generally cheaper than Asda and Morrisons, while including products on promotion and goods not considered everyday items.
The watchdog said that, despite Tesco stating that its trolley of goods did include products on promotion, the “disclaimer did not go far enough to remove the implication given by the headline claims that Tesco was generally cheaper than either of their competitors”.
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By GlobalDataThe ASA also criticised Tesco for using a trolley of goods that included products that “were not representative of a consumer’s typical shopping basket”. The goods included air freshener and pet food, as well as everyday items like milk and eggs.
Tesco could not be reached for immediate comment.
