Boots and Superdrug accused of deceptive customers with ‘dodgy’ reward card offers | EUROtoday

High-street pharmacy giants Boots and Superdrug have been accused of deceptive clients with “dodgy deals” after an investigation into loyalty pricing at their shops.

Consumer champion Which? in contrast costs throughout the 2 companies throughout a six-month interval in 2025, discovering a whole bunch of instances the place loyalty offers indicated a larger saving for members than in actuality.

Which? says it has referred each Boots and Superdrug to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), alleging that the businesses have gone in opposition to the watchdog’s steering on loyalty pricing promotions.

One of the examples given by Which? is an Avene moisturiser that was on sale at a Boots retailer for £16.50 for loyalty scheme members and £22 for everybody else. However, instantly earlier than the deal, it was on supply for all clients at £17.60, with a “was” value of £22.

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Following the loyalty deal, it was on supply for £16.50 for all clients, nonetheless with a “was” value of £22. Which? claims that that is deceptive, because the product didn’t value £22 for a minimum of a month both facet of the loyalty promotional interval.

Which? in contrast practically 700 loyalty offers from Boots throughout a six-month interval, and located that 119 (17 per cent) had been introduced in a means that would mislead. In the identical interval, it in contrast 6,000 offers at Superdrug and located related points in 162 instances (3 per cent).

Superdrug argued that the costs highlighted by Which? solely made up a small proportion of its 1000’s of loyalty value promotions.

At Superdrug, the patron group discovered an instance of a Simple skincare bundle that was priced at £4.98 for loyalty members and £9.98 for different clients. However, instantly earlier than that, the bundle was priced at £4.80 for everybody (and marked as “reduced” from £9.98), and afterwards it was £4.49 for everybody (additionally “reduced” from £9.98).

The CMA has beforehand stated in a report on loyalty pricing that “concerns” might come up below shopper regulation the place the worth of a product topic to a promotion is modified to make the promotion look extra engaging.

It added: “This may occur where the non-loyalty price is increased at the start of, or shortly before, a loyalty price promotion and then reduced when, or shortly after, the promotion has ended.”

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The investigation carried out by the patron safety watchdog in 2024 discovered that loyalty card reductions in supermarkets supply a real saving more often than not. However, researchers add that 40 per cent of customers stay mistrustful that that is the case.

Sue Davies, head of shopper safety coverage at Which?, stated: “Boots was a loyalty scheme pioneer with its Advantage Card, but the retailer seems to be taking its customers for a ride by making some of its deals look better than they really are.

“It’s concerning that Boots’s rival Superdrug seems to be employing similar dodgy-looking pricing tactics – meaning shoppers at two of the biggest players in the health and beauty sector are at risk of being misled.

“The CMA must be prepared to use its powers to create a meaningful deterrent for underhanded pricing practices, so consumers can trust that deals are genuine.”

A Boots spokesperson stated: “At Boots we strive to deliver great value for money for our customers every day. Boots Advantage Card members benefit from earning points on their purchases, enjoy an ongoing 10 per cent discount on Boots own brand products, and have access to exclusive promotional prices.

“We welcome the loyalty pricing report from the CMA and the clarification it provides. Boots is a strong supporter of transparency to consumers and consistent standards across all retailers in the industry. We have taken on board the report’s guidance and have been working diligently to ensure all our promotions are aligned to it.”

A Superdrug spokesperson stated: “As an accessible health and beauty retailer, we strive to deliver value to all our customers, and especially our Health & Beautycard members, who save more with our most competitive pricing and a range of points and reward opportunities.

“Across the year we offer regular promotions to all customers, as well as favourable members-only pricing. This ensures our pricing is competitive across the market, but also that our most loyal shoppers can purchase at the best prices most frequently via member events. We always aim to offer value and savings to customers, ensuring we are clear, fair and reward loyalty.”