Lifestyle Sports, DID Electrical and Rath-Wood Home & Garden World plead guilty to sales pricing breaches
March 10, 2025
Three retailers pled guilty to breaking sales pricing legislation in Dublin District Court this morning.
Lifestyle Sports (Ireland), DID Electrical Appliances and Rath-Wood Home & Garden World were ordered to pay €1,000 each to the Little Flower Penny Dinners charity and to pay the costs of the CCPC. Section 1(1) of the Probation Act is to be applied in each case upon compliance with Court order.
Prosecutions were brought by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) against Lifestyle Sports, DID Electrical, and Rath-Wood following online sweeps conducted over the 2023-2024 winter sales season, including Black Friday.
These are the first prosecutions under new sales pricing legislation introduced in 2022. The new law requires traders to base any discount on the lowest price in at least the previous 30 days, and to display this price clearly on any price tag or advertisement.
A number of other traders have been investigated and further prosecutions may follow.
CCPC Chair Brian McHugh said,
“Misleading sale discounts harm consumers and harm competition. It is vital that traders are transparent with consumers, displaying prices clearly and accurately.
Businesses must be able to compete openly and honestly, and consumers must be able to shop with confidence.”
The cases were before Judge Anthony Halpin today in Court 8 of Dublin Metropolitan District.
The CCPC can provide no further comment at this time.
Further information
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is the statutory body responsible for enforcing and promoting compliance with competition, consumer protection and product safety law.
DID Electrical Appliances Limited
- Ordered to pay €1,000 to Little Flower Penny Dinners and €2,460 in costs to the CCPC.
- Section 1(1) of the Probation Act is to be applied upon compliance with Court order.
Lifestyle Sports (Ireland) Limited
- Ordered to pay €1,000 to Little Flower Penny Dinners and €3,567 in costs to the CCPC.
- Section 1(1) of the Probation Act is to be applied upon compliance with Court order.
Rath-Wood Home and Garden World Limited
- Ordered to pay €1,000 to Little Flower Penny Dinners and €3,444 in costs to the CCPC.
- Section 1(1) of the Probation Act is to be applied upon compliance with Court order.
Prosecutions
These prosecutions were launched in late November 2024.
The prosecutions are for contraventions of Regulation 5A of the European Communities (Requirements to Indicate Product Prices) Regulations 2002 (S.I. No. 639 of 2002) as amended. www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2022/si/597/made/en/print
Penalties
The maximum fine per offence is €5,000.
Changes to the law are needed to give the CCPC the power to impose large fines for serious offences – for example, fines that are a percentage of a business’s turnover. This is a priority for the CCPC.
Pricing in Ireland
Generally, traders in Ireland are free to set and change their prices for goods and services, however, they must display their prices clearly and in a way that is not misleading. Clear and accurate pricing allows consumers to compare prices and to make informed choices before they make a purchase. Where traders fail to display prices clearly and accurately, or otherwise mislead consumers, the CCPC can and will take enforcement action up to and including prosecution.
More information on pricing is available at Product Prices – CCPC Business
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