The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will seek a “substantial penalty” after the court ruled 13 products were sold at sham discounts.

In a landmark decision, Justice Michael O’Bryan found the discounts were based on previous prices that were offered for too short a period to be considered real.

It is ironic that the supermarket giant has been found guilty of moving too fast to provide cost-of-living relief to shoppers at a time of rapid inflation.

Reputation of Australia’s big supermarkets takes another hit as federal court finds Coles misled shoppers by promoting fake discounts

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will seek a “substantial penalty” after the court ruled 13 products were sold at sham discounts.

The supermarket was found to hike prices on hundreds of goods then advertise discounts even though the discounted prices were higher than the earlier sale prices.

The decision will embolden the ACCC and the silver lining of a predictable “12-week rule” is a hallucination. Legally, the case confirms the consumer is king.

A landmark ruling on the supermarket’s sham discounts will force changes to promotions, ensuring budget buyers are likely to see fewer bargains.