Albert Supermarket Fined for Misleading Coffee Bean Discount
Prague, Czech Republic – Albert, a major supermarket chain in the Czech Republic, has been penalized for a deceptive discount promotion on coffee beans. The Senate of the Supreme Administrative Court recently upheld a fine against the retailer, finding its advertised “discount” misleading to consumers.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by the Czech Trade Inspection Authority (ČOI) regarding Albert’s Black Friday promotion. ČOI argued the discount was confusing, as it was calculated not from the regular price, but from a selectively chosen, lower price within the preceding 30 days – a practice the court equated to “false discounts.” The ruling reinforces consumer protection laws designed to prevent retailers from artificially inflating discounts.
According to the court’s decision, published this week and led by Vojtěch Šimíček, Albert displayed the lowest price from the last 30 days “at the very bottom of the discount label, in small print and connected it with an arrow pointing down,” obscuring the true extent of the savings. While Albert did provide the 30-day lowest price, the court resolute the presentation was intentionally designed to mislead customers.
ČOI can impose fines of up to five million Czech crowns for violations of consumer protection law. The court affirmed the imposed fine was reasonable.This ruling serves as a warning to retailers to ensure transparency in their discount advertising and accurately reflect genuine price reductions.
