Overview

• The Ministry of Consumption fined seven online retailers up to €350,000 for inflating pre-Black Friday prices to advertise false discounts.
• The sanctioned practices violated Article 20 of the Retail Trade Law, which mandates using the lowest price in the prior 30 days as the reference point.
• Three retailers admitted the infractions and paid reduced fines early, while four contested their penalties, resulting in higher sanctions.
• An eighth company concluded its proceeding by agreeing to compliance commitments aimed at preventing future pricing abuses.
• The ministry used the EU-developed Price reduction tool to monitor hundreds of prices in real time and is now investigating Black Friday 2024 discounts.