Competition Authority proceedings have been launched against Decathlon’s Hungarian subsidiary

The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) has initiated competition supervision proceedings against Tízpróba Magyarország Kft., the domestic operator of Decathlon. The authority suspects that the company has used unfair commercial practices on several points that could have distorted customer decisions. The case is currently under investigation.

Prices not the same online and in-store?

According to the GVH, Decathlon has probably withheld the relevant information that the online and in-store prices of some of its products may differ from those of its products as of September 1. This may be a problem, especially for customers who decide to purchase in person based on the information displayed in the webshop.

According to the competition authority, concealing price differences may be capable of misleading consumer decisions, as buyers do not receive the full information necessary to make their decision.

Are these real or just apparent promotions?

Another objection from the GVH is related to the promotional pricing applied from January 1. The suspicion is that the company is displaying false savings on certain products that have been available at unchanged – promotional – prices for a long time. This practice may be contrary to the regulations regarding real discounts and may distort the price sensitivity of buyers.

The authority is particularly sensitive to products that are constantly “on sale”, for which the original price often appears only as a fictitious basis of comparison.