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Supermarkets: Prices

Asked by Tom GordonLiberal DemocratDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 15 April 2026UIN 124940

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to introduce regulations to ensure that non-loyalty scheme prices for essential groceries are transparent.

Answered by Kate Dearden

Requirements on price transparency are set out in consumer protection law, including the Price Marking Order and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act which prohibits "drip pricing", requiring traders including supermarkets to provide consumers, upfront, with clear prices including all mandatory charges.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) keeps supermarket pricing practices under review and undertook work on price marking and promotions in the grocery sector in 2024. The Government has no current plans to introduce further regulations but continues to monitor how existing rules operate and supports the CMA in taking action where non‑compliance is identified.

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