Co-op's Aldi Price-Match Advertisement Deemed Misleading by Advertising Watchdog
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a Co-op advertisement promoting its price-match scheme with Aldi, ruling it as misleading for failing to compare genuinely similar products. This decision followed a formal complaint lodged by Aldi, which raised concerns about the accuracy of the comparisons made in the campaign.
Details of the Complaint and ASA Investigation
Aldi submitted a list of 45 items from Co-op's August advertisement to the ASA, arguing that these products were inappropriately matched. The Co-op's ad prominently featured the statement "Everyday Essentials price matched to Aldi," with smaller text clarifying that they match prices of certain Co-op products against comparable items available at Aldi. While the ASA acknowledged that some products, such as specific bread loaves, were exact matches in variant and size, it identified significant discrepancies in other comparisons.
Examples of Problematic Comparisons
The watchdog highlighted instances where Co-op matched items to similar alternatives when no identical product was available at Aldi. Key examples included:
- Co-op's Linguini Pasta being compared with Aldi's Cucina Spaghetti.
- Co-op's Summer Fruits Flavoured Still Spring Water matched against Aldi's Apple & Blackcurrant Flavoured Still Water.
- Co-op Meaty Chunks in Jelly with Turkey compared to Aldi's Earls Meaty Chunks with Chicken in Jelly.
More critically, the ASA found cases where a less similar alternative was used despite a nearer match being sold by Aldi. For instance, Co-op's Wholemeal Farmhouse Loaf was matched with an Aldi White Farmhouse Loaf. Co-op defended this by stating that Aldi did not sell a wholemeal version and argued that the "farmhouse" style was a more significant feature than the loaf being wholemeal.
ASA's Ruling and Rationale
In its ruling, the ASA stated: "We considered that consumers would understand the prices to be matched against the same products sold by both stores, or, for those who had read the small text at the bottom of the ad, that on the occasion the same product was not sold, the nearest comparable individual product would be selected for comparison. However, because Aldi’s nearest comparable individual product had not always been selected by Co-op for inclusion in the price match, and because no sufficiently prominent information was provided or adequately signposted to explain how products were deemed ‘comparable’, and to verify the claim, we concluded that the basis of the comparison had not been made clear and that the ad was therefore misleading."
Response from Co-op and Industry Commentary
A Co-op spokesman responded, saying: "We ensure the product comparisons utilised in our Aldi price-match offer are presented clearly on our website to enable shoppers to easily verify the matches." Meanwhile, Reena Sewraz, retail editor at Which?, commented on the broader implications: "Aldi almost always comes out as the cheapest supermarket in our monthly pricing analysis, so price-match schemes can sound like a win for shoppers, especially for those who don’t have an Aldi nearby or prefer to shop elsewhere. But this ASA ruling underlines why price-match claims should be treated with caution. Previous Which? research found that some price-matched products weren’t like-for-like on ingredients, quality or pack size. Shoppers shouldn’t assume a price match guarantees the same product or the best value – it pays to look beyond the label and check what you’re really getting."
This incident highlights ongoing concerns in the retail sector about transparency in advertising and the need for consumers to scrutinise price-match claims carefully to ensure they are getting genuine value.
