Sports Direct has condemned the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) as “out of touch” following the banning of an advert promoting a 50 per cent discount on a Puma product. The controversy centres on an advert for the “Women’s Zipped Baselayer Top” by Puma that claimed shoppers could save up to half the original price.
Originally displayed on the Sports Direct website in February, the advert featured the item priced from £17.00, with a recommended retail price (RRP) of £45 shown crossed out along with the caption “UP TO 50% OFF”. However, consumer group Which? challenged the advert, arguing that the stated RRP did not reflect prices generally offered elsewhere in the market.
In response, Sports Direct maintained that Puma had confirmed £45 as the official RRP and that the top had been sold at this price between February 2023 and April 2024. Despite this, the ASA found the advert breached its advertising code by being misleading and instructed Sports Direct not to repeat such pricing claims. The ASA emphasised that future price comparisons must be based on prices “generally sold across the market”.
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Ahead of the judgement, Sports Direct issued a statement declaring its intention to contest the ruling. The company described the decision as “fundamentally wrong” and criticised the ASA’s approach to RRPs as flawed and disconnected from current retail practices.
Sports Direct further argued that evidence confirming the validity of the RRP had been supplied but seemingly overlooked by the watchdog. The retailer stressed its commitment to providing customers with genuine value, particularly amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, through accurate discounting against legitimate RRPs.