Irish and Carlow retailers plead guilty to breaking pricing legislation in court and face fine

Multiple Irish retailers have been hit with €1,000 fines after pleading guilty in court to breaking price legislation in Dublin District Court on the 10th of March of 2025.

The retailers that pleaded guilty are Lifestyle Sports (Ireland), DID Electrical Appliances, and Rath-Wood Home & Garden World, in County Carlow, were ordered to pay the €1,000 fines to The Little Flower Penny Dinners Charity.

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Prosecutions were brought by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) against Lifestyle Sports, DID Electrical, and Rath-Wood following online sweeps conducted over the 2023-2024 winter sales season, including Black Friday.

These are the first prosecutions under new sales pricing legislation introduced in 2022. The new law requires traders to base any discount on the lowest price in at least the previous 30 days, and to display this price clearly on any price tag or advertisement.

The Chair of the CCPC (Competition and Consumer Protection Commission) said following the verdict:

“Misleading sale discounts harm consumers and harm competition. It is vital that traders are transparent with consumers, displaying prices clearly and accurately.

Businesses must be able to compete openly and honestly, and consumers must be able to shop with confidence.”