Three of Britain’s most recognisable high-street retailers have been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after investigations found that their Black Friday promotions overstated the value of advertised discounts.
The watchdog ruled that John Lewis, Boots and Debenhams all breached advertising rules by using reference prices that could not be proven as genuine or established selling prices, which are required to substantiate “was/now” savings claims.
At John Lewis, two separate laptop offers were examined. A MacBook Air promotion advertising a £150 reduction from £849 was found to be misleading because the higher price had only been used for a short period before the promotion. A second offer on an Asus laptop, promoted with a £450 saving, was also judged not to reflect a legitimate previous selling price.
Boots was similarly found to have breached the code over a fragrance promotion, where a reduction from £80 to £60 lacked sufficient evidence that £80 had been a regular selling price. Debenhams also faced action over promotional banners advertising discounts of “up to 44%”, which the ASA said were not properly supported by pricing history.
The regulator said retailers must ensure that any reference price used in promotional claims represents a real, established price rather than a temporary or inflated figure introduced shortly before a sale period.
The rulings form part of a wider enforcement push by the ASA, which has expanded its use of data-driven monitoring systems to detect potentially misleading advertising. The programme has already been used to review promotions in sectors including retail, travel and health products, particularly during major sales periods such as Black Friday and January discounts.
Officials at the ASA said consumers expect advertised savings to reflect genuine reductions and stressed that seasonal marketing campaigns do not exempt companies from compliance with pricing rules.
The decisions come amid ongoing scrutiny of retail discount practices. Consumer studies have repeatedly suggested that many advertised Black Friday deals do not reflect meaningful price reductions compared with earlier in the year.
Industry legal experts say the regulator is increasingly proactive in identifying breaches without relying solely on consumer complaints, using automated systems to flag concerns at scale.
For retailers, the implications extend beyond corrective rulings. ASA findings can result in reputational damage and may increase the risk of further investigation by other regulators, including the Competition and Markets Authority, particularly under strengthened consumer protection powers.
Legal specialists note that enforcement activity has broadened in recent months, with major brands across different sectors facing action over misleading claims or unclear commercial arrangements.
The ASA has made clear that the responsibility lies with retailers to ensure that all promotional savings are accurate, verifiable and clearly presented.
As the peak shopping season approaches, the regulator’s stance signals closer scrutiny of discount marketing, with retailers expected to provide stronger evidence that advertised savings reflect genuine reductions rather than short-term pricing strategies.
