Retailers to change cut-price offers

Carpetright and four other furniture and carpet retailers have agreed to change the way they make cut-price offers on their goods after a two-year investigation.

The Office of Fair Trading said the five had agreed to change their pricing practices and committed to using genuine so-called reference prices when they advertise such things as “Sale, Was £800, Now Half Price £400.” The retailers, who also include SCS, Dreams, Furniture Village, Harveys and Bensons for Beds, did not admit liability. The OFT yesterday said it had closed its investigation.

The regulator said consumers should be able to trust such claims and know that advertised savings were genuine. That meant goods had to have been on sale for a decent period of time, in a reasonable number of outlets before being discounted.

Gaucho Rasmussen, an OFT enforcement director, said: “We are pleased that these retailers have confirmed their commitment to using genuine price