Lidl was sentenced by the DGCCRF to pay a fine of 65,000 euros for deceptive advertising practice. Indeed, the brand has promoted household appliances and DIY without guaranteeing their availability in stores.
With its attractive prices, its quality products and its good deals, Lidl is one of the favorite brands of the French, especially in these inflation times! But, sometimes, its attractive offers are a little too beautiful to be true … Thus, the General Directorate of Competition, Consumption and the Repression of Fraud (DGCCRF) has announced, in a press releasehaving sanctioned the hard discount giant of a fine of 65,000 euros due to advertising practices deemed misleading. Indeed, between 2020 and 2021, the brand promoted items of small appliances and DIY in its catalogs and on the Internet, without guaranteeing their availability in store. A practice as illegal as morally doubtful …
Fine Lidl: unavailability in stores of promoted products online
The Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations (DDPP) of Val-de-Marne, on which the head office of the German origin depends, conducted the investigation. She discovered that Lidl had carried out, between 2020 and 2021, advertising operations on the Internet and its catalog – TV spots are not affected – of some of the products without having provided their availability, in sufficient quantity, in certain stores participating in the promotional operation. The items concerned were mainly small appliance items (microwave, fryer, coffee machine …) and DIY items (pruner, wireless chainsaw, jumping saw …).
This practice created a legitimate frustration among consumers, who were specially moved for these offers, to ultimately discover their unavailability once there. But it was also a way to attract customers so that they do their shopping in stores, especially those who did not come there regularly, in order to push them to consumption and bring them to its ecosystem. However, brands that offer products at attractive prices have the legal obligation to have sufficient stock in their physical stores, in order to meet the demand generated by their advertising campaigns. The brand is therefore in wrong.
Also, Lidl agreed to pay the fine of 65,000 euros proposed by the DDPP, after agreement of the public prosecutor of Créteil. A financial sanction which is, a doubt, a warning for the group, but also for all distributors of technological equipment.