Supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths have been smacked with a class action lawsuit following the recent findings unearthed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Supermarkets inquiry.
On Thursday, Gerard Malouf & Partners (GMP) officially lodged a class action lawsuit on behalf of their clients against the supermarket duo for allegedly breaching Australian Consumer Law by misleading customers with discount pricing claims.
The lawsuit aims “to secure financial redress for Australians who may have been misled by the supposed discounts,” Mumbrella reports.
GMP’s legal move comes amidst the ACCC’s national inquiry into Australia’s supermarket sector, a directive from the Australian Government that has also seen the support of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
In September, the consumer watchdog announced it was taking the supermarket duopoly to court for allegedly misleading customers and gouging their prices.
The ACCC alleged that between September 2021 and May 2023, Woolies made false or misleading representations regarding prices on 266 products to customers while Coles made false or misleading representations on the prices of 245 products between February 2022 and May 2023.
What makes the two lawsuits different is that the ACCC seek penalties against Woolies and Coles, but offers no compensation for affected consumers.
However, GMP’s suit “focuses solely on winning back the difference between the advertised ‘discounted’ prices and the real prices for hundreds of commonly purchased products at Coles between February 2022 and May 2023, and at Woolworths between September 2021 and May 2023”.
Speaking to Mumbrella, Chairman Gerard Malouf said: “We estimate that the average Australian consumer could be eligible for a refund ranging between $200 and $1,300+, depending on their shopping habits and purchases at these retailers.”
“We believe this class action is an essential move toward safeguarding consumer rights and demanding transparency in retail practices Australia-wide,” he continued.
Neither Coles nor Woolworths have responded publicly to the class-action lawsuit brought by GMP.
That being said, down down, seems like things are going down for duopoly.
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