Sports Direct Reported to CMA Over Misleading Pricing Claims

Consumer group Which? has reported Sports Direct to the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over concerns that the retailer's pricing practices may mislead shoppers into believing they are receiving better deals than they actually are. Which? investigated 160 popular products on SportsDirect.com after tip-offs about suspicious use of Recommended Retail Prices (RRPs) and found that for 58 products, no other retailer sold them at or above the stated RRP. Additionally, 53 products were only sold at or above the reference price by other retailers within the Frasers Group, Sports Direct's parent company, which owns numerous brands and retail outlets. The retailer also uses terms like Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) and Suggested Retail Price (SRP), which consumers may interpret similarly to RRPs. Which? highlighted examples such as a Jack Wills hoodie priced at £24 with an MSRP of £54.99, but could not find it sold elsewhere outside Frasers Group stores, raising concerns about the authenticity of the reference prices. These findings suggest that Sports Direct's pricing tactics may be designed to give the impression of deeper discounts than actually offered, prompting the CMA investigation.