Emma mattress company taken to court for 'misleading shoppers'
The retailer is one of the UK's biggest-selling mattress brands but its sale practices were investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority.
Tuesday 29 October 2024 16:32, UK
A UK watchdog has taken mattress seller Emma to court for allegedly misleading shoppers.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) began investigating the retailer two years ago, raising concerns over its sales practices - such as the "countdown timers" used to encourage customers to buy items before the sale runs out.
The CMA found that although Emma's website claimed to show extensive discount offers, in reality just a fraction of the products were ever sold at full price - to the extent where the idea of it being a sale was misleading.
The retailer is one of the UK's best-selling mattress brands.
On Friday, the CMA said Emma had failed to address all of its concerns.
The CMA said: "We have given Emma sufficient opportunity to alter the way it does business to address our concerns. They have failed to do so, which is why we've progressed to court action.
"Consumers deserve great deals and the action we are taking does not stop retailers offering them - where the promotion is genuine.
"We are concerned that when sales tactics such as discounts and countdown clocks are used in a misleading way, they can pressure shoppers into making quick purchases and spending more than they would otherwise. That is the heart of our concerns and it's why we are taking action now."
A spokeswoman for Emma said it had made "most of the adjustments the CMA asked for" including changing how it used countdowns and ending other urgency tactics.
She added: "However, the CMA wants Emma UK to also limit the number of products sold at a discount off the full or 'reference' price.
"Specifically, the CMA wants us to limit the quantities that can be sold at a headline discount to twice the amount of the product sold at the undiscounted price.
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"We believe implementing such a requirement would deprive consumers across the UK of the best and most popular deals, as promotions may have to end early."
The watchdog does not have power in its own right to fine Emma, so instead has launched legal action. Consumer watchdog Which? has said it supports the move, and has suspended their best buy endorsements of Emma mattresses.