Retailer’s use of ‘RRP’ found to be misleading by ASA

The ASA investigated a product listing on the Sports Direct website for a Puma women’s baselayer top, which advertised a price of £17 against a struck-through RRP of £45 and included the claim “UP TO 50% OFF”. The complaint, brought by Which? Ltd, challenged whether the reference price and claimed saving were misleading.

Frasers Group Trading Ltd said the £45 RRP had been confirmed by Puma and provided evidence that the manufacturer had maintained that recommended price for several years. The company argued that consumers understood RRPs to be a manufacturer’s recommended value rather than a price necessarily charged by every retailer, and that its discounted pricing provided genuine value to customers.

The ASA upheld the complaint, finding that consumers would expect the RRP to reflect the price at which the product was generally sold across the market. While Sports Direct showed that Puma recommended a £45 RRP, the evidence suggested the product was widely available elsewhere at substantially lower prices. The ASA therefore concluded that the quoted RRP and associated savings claim were not genuine, breached the CAP Code, and required the advert to be withdrawn or amended.

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