Which? response to CMA unit pricing update

Sue Davies, Which? Head of Food Policy, said:

“This latest update by the Competition and Markets Authority reinforces how important unit pricing can be to help shoppers identify which products offer the best value on the supermarket shelf. It also shows that using 'rules of thumb' such as buying bigger packs or products on promotion doesn’t always guarantee the best price.

“Which? research has consistently shown that unit pricing is not always clear enough, can be presented inconsistently and is not always shown on promotions or loyalty pricing, making it really difficult for people to easily tell which product is the best value.

“It's positive that last week the government announced plans to revise dated pricing rules to help ensure that unit pricing is much easier to use. It's crucial that progress on this comes as quickly as possible but that supermarkets in a position to make positive changes now - such as adding unit pricing to products on promotion - don't wait for the rules to change.”

ENDS

Links to CMA work published today, below for reference:

• Short guide for shoppers: A short guide to unit pricing - Competition and Markets Authority (blog.gov.uk)
• Unit pricing case page: Unit pricing - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Unit pricing and consumer research: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unit-pricing-analysis-and-consumer-research 
• Loyalty pricing case page: https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/loyalty-pricing-in-the-groceries-sector