Reputation of Australia’s big supermarkets takes another hit as federal court finds Coles misled shoppers by promoting fake discounts

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Coles’s “Down Down” promotion is one of Australia’s best known campaigns. But the supermarket has been caught red-handed after a federal court judge found Coles misled shoppers by promoting fake discounts.

Through its proceedings, Australia’s competition regulator has given consumers an intriguing look-behind-the-curtain moment, exposing how a major supermarket sways shoppers to buy its products.

Landmark finding against supermarket giant after competition watchdog argued discounts did not represent genuine savings

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Coles misled Australian shoppers with fake discounts on everyday grocery products, the federal court has ruled in a landmark decision for the supermarket industry.

Justice Michael O’Bryan handed down his judgment on Thursday, delivering a significant blow to Australia’s second-largest supermarket chain, which had argued the discounts represented genuine savings during a period of high inflation.

Survey of 27,000 Australian supermarket items found some products boasting environmental benefits had significantly higher emissions than unlabelled counterparts

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Foods in supermarkets boasting environmental terms such as “natural” or “sustainable” are mostly just using marketing speak, rather than verified claims, Australian researchers have found.

More than 27,000 packaged foods sold at Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, IGA and Harris Farm supermarkets in Sydney were assessed by researchers from the George Institute for Global Health.

Firm went bust in February amid fallout from the scandal over Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein

Little says in March she had a meeting when she asked to see the Foreign Office’s documentation about the decision to grant Mandelson vetting. She said she was asking because this was documentation covered by the humble address. She said was told that “that information would not be forthcoming”.

In the middle of March, I have a meeting with Sir Olly and a senior member of his team, and this is after the point that I’ve been told that this summary document exists.

I specifically ask to see this document and any decision-making audit trail around those judgments at the time. It was made clear to me that that information would not be forthcoming.

I took the very unusual judgment that I should directly request the information from UK Security Vetting.

And I did that because I go back to my responsibilities, to discharge the humble address, which is a responsibility that is unique to me and I take very seriously.

Retailer WH Smith joins supermarket in warning on effects of Middle East conflict

Sainsbury’s has warned that profits could fall this year as the conflict in the Middle East squeezes customers’ budgets and pushes up business costs.

The supermarket group said the conflict “will impact both our customers and our business” and it was unclear how large the effect would be.

Farmers have been calling for higher prices for weeks, amid soaring diesel and fertiliser costs and limited supply

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Coles has increased home-brand milk prices by up to 20c a litre, with Woolworths set to follow as war in the Middle East starts to hit Australian grocery costs.

The price rise will support the company’s bottom line against pressure from higher fuel and operating costs, while some of the revenue will be temporarily passed on to dairy farmers.

Senior manager at supermarket giant gives evidence on day two of case brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

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A senior Woolworths executive has defended relaxing rules designed to protect shoppers from misleading discounts by preventing the supermarket or suppliers from “gaming” the “Prices Dropped” promotional program.

Woolworths’ chief commercial officer, Paul Harker, gave evidence on the second day of a landmark trial between the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and Woolworths in the federal court on Wednesday.

Investigation of Family Dollar and Dollar General prompts lawmakers to double penalties for retailers that repeatedly charge more at checkout than prices listed on shelves

Utah lawmakers have voted to stiffen penalties on retailers who chronically overcharge customers.

The new state law, which takes effect on 6 May, was introduced in direct response to a Guardian investigation of pricing practices at two national chains, Dollar General and Family Dollar, according to an official who oversees the state’s price-accuracy inspections.