Tesco changes Clubcard plan after complaints

Tesco said the changes would appear in all stores over the coming weeks

Tesco has been forced to change how it displays Clubcard deals after criticism that it could be breaking the law.

Last year consumer group Which? said Tesco “could be breaking the law” by failing to provide unit pricing – such as the price per 100g – on products with Clubcard promotion prices.

Which? reported the supermarket giant to the UK competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), as it criticised its pricing information displayed for some products.

At the time, Tesco said that its price labelling had been “formally endorsed” by Trading Standards, after it asked the organisation to review its Clubcard Prices promotions.

It added that it was “disappointed” by the “ill-founded claims” by Which?

Unit prices can be used by shoppers in stores and online to compare the value of products they are purchasing.

Tesco said its price labelling had been ‘formally endorsed’ by Trading Standards (Alamy/PA)

Tesco’s UK chief executive Jason Tarry wrote in a blog this week: “If you are in store, you will now start to see that the way that we display our Clubcard Prices will not only show the total price, but also the unit price of the product (by volume or weight), to allow a direct comparison of the price per unit between the Clubcard Prices offer and the price of alternative products.

“This is something that we have been planning to do for some time, and I am really pleased that we are ready to make the change.

“Over the coming weeks, these changes will appear in all our stores, as our colleagues update millions of price labels on the shelf edge. We will also be adding these unit prices to our Clubcard Prices deals online.”

Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: “Which? has campaigned through the cost-of-living crisis for supermarkets to make pricing clearer so shoppers can easily find the best value deals at a time when so many have struggled to put food on the table.

“The lack of unit pricing on Tesco’s Clubcard offers was a glaring omission and we warned that this approach could be breaking the law last summer, so it’s good to see the nation’s largest supermarket stepping up to do the right thing by making this important change.

“We look forward to seeing this rolled out quickly across all stores and online so shoppers can benefit as soon as possible. The Government also needs to now update outdated pricing rules so all shoppers can easily compare value.”