Brown Thomas Arnotts Ltd has been spared a recorded conviction for breaching pricing laws during the group’s Black Friday sales.
The department store group, which operates at several prominent locations, including on Grafton Street and Henry Street in Dublin, was prosecuted by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) at Dublin District Court.
Judge Michael Ramsey in January ordered the firm to pay €1,000 to the Little Flower Penny Dinners charity and costs to the CCPC by Monday. Otherwise, Brown Thomas Arnotts would, in default, be convicted and fined €1,000, payable within three months.
Judge Anthony Halpin presiding on Monday noted that the company had complied with the direction given by his colleague. Accordingly, he struck out the case.
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The proceedings resulted from online sweeps conducted by the consumer watchdog between October and December 2024, including during the Black Friday sales period.
On or about December 1st, 2024, a Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic 47 Silver on the Brown Thomas site was listed as reduced from €459 to €379, even though it had already been on sale at the retail outlet for €369 a few weeks earlier.
On or about November 28th, on the Arnotts website, a 65-inch Samsung television was advertised at a special Black Friday price of €1,699, claimed to be reduced from €2,899, but it had actually been sold by the chain in previous weeks for €1,649.
Also around that time, a 55-inch Sony Bravia 8T, also featured on arnotts.ie as a special deal at €2,399, had incorrectly indicated a “reduced from” price of €2,599, even though it had recently been offered for €1,799.
A similar issue arose with the sale of Sennheiser Accentum White ANC headphones on November 16th.
This case follows a series of prosecutions brought by the consumer watchdog under sales pricing laws introduced in 2022. Under the law, traders must base any discount on the lowest price in the previous 30 days and must display this prior price clearly on any price tag or advertisement.
Lifestyle Sports, DID Electrical, Rathwood and Boots also pleaded guilty to breaking sales pricing laws last year.
The CCPC’s Patrick Kenny said the case “marks another important outcome for the CCPC in ensuring consumers can shop with confidence, and that retailers can compete fairly on a level playing field”.
