Boots Ireland spared court conviction over misleading Black Friday toothbrush and perfume sale
The breaches found on electric toothbrushes and perfume price tags triggered a Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) investigation.
On 26 May, the retail giant pleaded guilty before Judge Anthony Halpin at Dublin District Court to consumer law that compelled traders to base any discount on the lowest price in at least the previous 30 days and to display this price clearly on any price tag or advertisement.
Judge Halpin adjourned the case until today for the retailer to pay €4,624 toward the CCPC costs and €1,000 to the Little Flower Penny Dinners charity.
Finalising the prosecution, he noted that Boots Ireland had complied and he applied the Probation of Offender's Act, leaving it spared a recorded conviction.
At the prior hearing, Judge Halpin noted defence submissions that the breach was due to a human error and that the firm was remorseful and had no prior offences on record.
Advertisement
Judge Halpin remarked that Boots was a very reputable firm in Ireland with branches and employees throughout the country, and he noted a senior compliance officer from the company had travelled over from the UK to attend the proceedings.
It was among the first batch of prosecutions under the new sales pricing rules introduced in 2022, the European Union (Requirements to Indicate Product Prices) (Amendment) Regulations.
Cathal Ó Braonáin BL, for the competition regulator, said the offence arises when a retailer announces a reduced selling cost without announcing the product's lowest price in the preceding 30 days.
Boots was found to have committed three pricing breaches for the 17 November, 2023 sale, including advertising an Oral-B toothbrush for €470 with a prior price of €999.99, despite it having been sold at €470 just days before.
Two more errors were for another Oral-B toothbrush and a Dior perfume, both advertised at higher previous prices than their actual recent lowest costs.
The defence stressed how 104,000 products were on promotion for that Black Friday, and these offences represented a tiny number of items on sale.
A full review of internal processes has been carried out, and guidance, protocols, and governance were updated.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Blame farmers not supermarkets for the rising price of food
Next time you find yourself standing at the supermarket checkout wondering how the handful of items in your basket could possibly cost €50 it should be of some comfort to know that the Government has had a look at the issue and concluded there is nothing untoward going on. It seems that the great supermarket price gouging furore of last May and June is a ball of smoke. Under considerable pressure from the Opposition about 'out of control' food prices the Government asked the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to revisit an analysis of competition in the grocery sector carried out in 2023. The CCPC released its update last Thursday and the message is very much along the lines of nothing to see here. There is no denying that prices have gone up dramatically but the culprits, according to the CCPC, are not fat-cat supermarket bosses. If anything, the State agency comes perilously close to saying the supermarkets have shielded us from the price increases being demanded by that most cherished of Irish social classes, the farmers. No one is saying that competition in the grocery sector is not all that it could be. The five large supermarket chains – Dunnes Stores , Tesco , SuperValu , Lidl and Aldi – have increased their combined market shares slightly to 93 per cent from 91 per cent over the past few years but this varies from month to month according to the CCPC. READ MORE Their current shares are Dunnes Stores (23.6 per cent), Tesco (23.3 per cent), SuperValu (20.2 per cent), Lidl (14 per cent), and Aldi (11.8 per cent). The important issue, according the CCPC is market concentration, which is a measure of a participant's ability to exercise market power and to lower competition. The review found that market concentration in Ireland is decreasing and is currently 1,735 on something called the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI). A market with a HHI score of less than 1,500 is considered competitive, a HHI between 1,500 and 2,500 shows moderate levels of competition and concentration. Competition is increasing, they argue, with Aldi, Lidl and Tesco all publicly committed to opening new stores and the continued investment in own brands by all the players. You may not be feeling it but according to the CCPC: 'Overall, the grocery retail sector demonstrates positive signs of competitive dynamics with new products and services and a strong level of competition on price including aggressive marketing to consumers on price offers.' It notes that while we have experienced a 27 per cent increase in prices from 2021 up to June 2025 this is well below the European Union average, which has risen by 35 per cent over the same period. They also note that Ireland's rate of grocery price inflation has been below the EU average for 15 of the past 16 years (every year since the 2008 financial crisis apart from 2024). 'Overall, the high-level inflation figures do not suggest any significant market problems in the Irish grocery retail sector. If anything, the evidence suggests that Irish consumers have experienced significant price benefits compared to European counterparts,' concludes the CCPC. It's not quite 'stop your whinging, you don't know how good you have it', but it's close. It is certainly not what the Government was expecting or wanted to hear. Neither is the assertion that supermarkets are to be lauded for keeping prices down in the face of demands from food producers. 'There is a strong argument to suggest that this benefit [lower than average price inflation] has been influenced by the increased competition in the grocery retail sector discussed above,' the consumer watchdog ventures. The CCPC doesn't get into why farmers are pushing up their prices by more than their costs but the answer is probably the same reason any business would: because they can in a high-inflation environment The CCPC sees two broad reasons for why food prices are going up. The first is simply that Ireland is an expensive place. They cite structural factors in the Irish economy such as higher wages, geographic location and higher costs in construction, legal services and insurance, which push up prices here. The second reason is that food producers are increasing their margins. 'We can see that up until 2024, agricultural output prices largely tracked agricultural input prices. But in the very recent period, agricultural output prices have shown a strong increase compared to agricultural input prices,' according to the CCPC. It notes that agricultural output prices rose by 19.3 per cent during 2024, well above the EU average of 2.6 per cent for the same period. The CCPC doesn't get into why farmers are pushing up their prices by more than their costs but the answer is probably the same reason any business would: because they can in a high-inflation environment. There is another argument about what constitutes sustainable and fair margins in Irish farming but that is not much use to the Government. Politically, it is one thing scapegoating large supermarket chains for the rise in the price of groceries and associated public annoyance. It's another thing altogether blaming farmers.
Agriland
10 hours ago
- Agriland
FSAI goes to High Court to enforce closure order on food business
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) went to the High Court last month to enforce a closure order on a business after it continued to trade despite the order. The closure order was one of 10 closure orders and two prohibition orders issued in July. These orders, collectively referred to as enforcement orders, were issued for breaches of food safety legislation under to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020. Closures orders can refer to the immediate closure of all or part of the food premises, or all or some of its activities, while prohibition orders are designed to prohibit the sale of a product, either temporarily or permanently. The enforcement orders were issued by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE). Four closure orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on: Lidl Sallynoggin Road, Glenageary, Co. Dublin (order lifted on August 1); Creed's Foodstore, Burncourt, Cahir, Co. Tipperary (order lifted on August 6); Brandon Hotel (closed areas include all kitchen areas, including dry goods store, wash up areas, staff canteen, restaurant and stills area), Prince's Street, Tralee, Co. Kerry (order lifted on July 25); Emerald Park (closed area includes the storage unit located to the rear of 'coffee dock' in Emerald Park), Kilbrew, Ashbourne, Co. Meath (order lifted on July 15). A further six closure orders were issued under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on: Londis Athboy (closed areas include the deli/food preparation area and ice cream service area), Connaught Street, Athboy, Co. Meath (order lifted on July 28); KRS Catering Stall (closed activity includes the service of all foods prepared off-site and transported to the venue; closure does not apply to the sale or service of beverages and foods prepared on-site), Powerstown Park Racecourse, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary (order lifted on July 17); Tim Nessa, 2A John's Street, Co. Limerick; Hidden Dojo Asian Street food, 47A Phibsborough Road, Phibsborough, Dublin 7; Wakami Sushi & Asian, 47A Phibsborough Road, Phibsborough, Dublin 7; Costa Coffee, 1 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 (order lifted on July 4). In relation to one of the businesses listed above, Tim Nessa, 2A John's Street, Limerick, the FSAI said: "The FSAI is aware that this food to trade despite the service by the HSE on July 8, 2025 of a closure order. "As a result, and in accordance with the applicable legislation, the FSAI applied to the High Court for various orders including that the continuance of the food business operator be prohibited and that the food business premises should immediately close until the food business is notified in writing that contraventions in the closure order have been remedied, or further order of the High Court," the authority added. The FSAI said the court granted an order to this effect on July 29, and that the parties concerned are at liberty to apply to the High Court in the meantime. The authority said that the food business concerned will be monitored to ensure it complies with the High Court's order, the HSE's closure order, and the relevant food legislation. Elsewhere, one prohibition order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on Ballymaguire Foods Unlimited Company, Rathmooney, Lusk, Co. Dublin for pre-packaged turkey and ham dinners. Finally, one prohibition order was served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on Timothy Onwuegbusi, 2A John's Street, Limerick and Emeka Ikebudu, 2A John's Street, Limerick, for various products. Without referring to any particular business, the FSAI said that some of the reasons for enforcement orders in July include: rat droppings in a dishwasher room and food store; inadequate means to wash hands; owners and staff not wearing clean protective clothing; dead beetles observed in the bottom of a container of packaged food; various foods being kept at unsafe temperatures; rat droppings found in a storage unit; numerous rodent droppings on shelving; dead cockroaches in a main kitchen; and extensive food debris. Commenting on July's enforcement orders, FSAI chief executive Greg Dempsey said: "Recent foodborne incidents serve as a stark reminder of the need for food businesses to maintain the highest food safety standards. Consumers are entitled to expect that the food they purchase is safe, and food businesses have a clear legal and moral responsibility to ensure that it is. "The FSAI can provide support and advice to food businesses to help them meet their obligations. However, as demonstrated by the enforcement actions this month, where food businesses do not comply with their obligations, we will take action," Dempsey added.
The Journal
15 hours ago
- The Journal
Rodent droppings at Emerald Park and a south Dublin Lidl both led to food closure orders in July
TWELVE FOOD BUSINESSES were served closure orders by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland in July, including Lidl and a coffee dock storage unit in Emerald Park, which were both closed due to the presence of rodent droppings. A mouse ran in front of two environmental health officers while they were inspecting the store room of Lidl on Sallynoggin Road, Co Dublin on 29 July. Some of the reasons for the closure orders of other businesses include the presence of dead cockroaches and beetles, lack of handwashing and not wearing clean protective clothing during food preparation. The closure orders were issued by environmental health officers in the HSE and by officers of the FSAI. Five closure orders were served under the FSAI Act 1998 on: Lidl Sallynoggin Road, Glenageary, Co. Dublin. Creed's Foodstore Burncourt Cahir, Co. Tipperary Brandon Hotel (Closed areas: All kitchen areas including dry goods store, wash up areas, staff canteen, restaurant and stills area.) Prince's Street, Tralee, Co. Kerry Emerald Park (Closed area: The storage unit located to the rear of 'coffee dock' in Emerald Park) Kilbrew Ashbourne, Co. Meath. Six Closure Orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on: Londis Athboy (Closed areas: the deli/food preparation area and ice cream service area) Connaught Street, Athboy, Co. Meath KRS Catering Stall (Closed activity: the service of all foods prepared off-site and transported to the venue. Closure does not apply to the sale/service of beverages and foods prepared on-site) Powerstown Park Racecourse, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary Tim Nessa 2A John's Street, Co. Limerick Hidden Dojo Asian Street food, 47A Phibsborough Road, Phibsborough, Dublin 7. Wakami Sushi & Asian, 47A Phibsborough Road, Phibsborough, Dublin 7. Costa Coffee, 1 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 One Prohibition Order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on: Ballymaguire Foods Unlimited Company, Rathmooney, Lusk, Co. Dublin. One Prohibition Order was served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on: Timothy Onwuegbusi, 2A John's Street, Limerick and Emeka Ikebudu, 2A John's Street, Limerick. During the inspection of Lidl on Sallynoggin Road, inspectors said a 'grave and immediate danger' to food safety was found in the premises, due to the presence of rodent droppings and food debris in multiple locations, including on the shop floor and in the store room where food was kept. Advertisement The closure order was lifted on 1 August. A storage unit in Emerald Park was also closed after rat droppings were found in the unit on 7 July, which also stored food, reusable cups, straws and lids. Inspectors noted the unit was not pest proof as it had holes in the walls. The closure order was lifted on 15 July. Costa Coffee on Dawson Street, Co Dublin, was served a closure order due to the presence of rat droppings in the dishwasher room, food store, and customer entrance, on 2 July, which was lifted on 4 July. Dead cockroaches were found by inspectors on 23 July in a main kitchen under work surfaces and under cooking equipment in Brandon Hotel, Co Kerry. The order was lifted on 25 July. During an inspection of Wakami Sushi and Asian on 7 July, in Phibsborough, Co Dublin, inspectors noted that the food business did not provide adequate means for staff to wash hands in the kitchen, with one sink not having soap or a towel. They noted infrequent handwashing in the kitchen and said owners and staff were not wearing clean protective clothing during food preparation. FSAI chief Greg Dempsey, said 'recent foodborne incidents serve as a stark reminder of the need for food businesses to maintain the highest food safety standards.' 'Consumers are entitled to expect that the food they purchase is safe, and food businesses have a clear legal and moral responsibility to ensure that it is. The Enforcement Orders issued this month reflect serious, preventable breaches of food safety law,' he said. 'Every food business must take its responsibility to comply with food safety law seriously. The FSAI can provide support and advice to food businesses to help them meet their obligations. However, as demonstrated by the enforcement actions this month, where food businesses do not comply with their obligations, we will take action.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
