Pingo Doce filed a complaint with the Direção-Geral do Consumidor (DGC) and the Institute of Advertising Self-Regulation about an advertising campaign by Lidl, in which a price comparison is made between supermarkets, which it says is misleading.
“The campaign is misleading and with it Lidl seeks to demonstrate not only that it is the cheapest chain on the market but that it is at least 10%. This is not true and Pingo Doce was forced to intervene, for a on the other hand, the ARP, on the other the DGC, to analyze the compliance of this campaign with the law, namely with the law that regulates comparative advertising”, reads a ‘newsletter’ from Pingo Doce sent to customers.
According to the Jerónimo Martins group company, the ARP and DGC concluded that “the campaign is misleading and is likely to mislead the consumer”, determining that it must be stopped immediately.
At issue is an advertising campaign by Lidl, starting in February, which compares prices between various commercial areas, stating that it is the cheapest on the market.
The analysis, which has the support of Marktest, uses a random weekly basket of 25 products, which Pingo Doce says are chosen “so that, in each basket, Lidl’s prices are 10% cheaper than the competition “.
The same note states that the baskets are not representative and that they are chosen to demonstrate a “supposed global price 10% cheaper than the competition, that is, manipulated”.
Pingo Doce also said that this analysis presents errors regarding the prices that this supermarket actually charges, in addition to using “non-comparable” products or products that Pingo Doce does not sell.
“Since Pingo Doce, a Portuguese brand with more than 40 years and which has always guided its conduct by transmitting correct, transparent and loyal information to its customers and the market about the products and services it sells, is thus forced, given Lidl’s gross and unacceptable respect, to go public with this information in defense of its good name and the truth owed to its customers and the Portuguese in general”, he concluded.
Lusa contacted Lidl and is awaiting a response.
