Discounts cannot be misleading

What changes?

Do you work in retail? And do you offer discounts? The initial amount you are giving the discount on (‘from’ amount) must be the lowest price you have used in the 30 days before the discount takes effect.

Sometimes sellers increase a product’s price, to lower it shortly after. They then present this as a significant reduction in price. The government will impose rules to end these practices. Their aim is to prevent consumers being misled.

The new rule specifies that the original price on which you give a discount (the price ‘from’), must be the lowest price that you offered the product for in the last 30 days.

There are 3 exemptions:

• progressive lowering of a price (promotions with a continuously increasing discount)
• products that have not yet been on the market for 30 days (introduction discount)
• perishables (products with a ‘Use by’ date)

For whom?

• entrepreneurs offering products with a discount

When?

It is expected the ‘Decree on price indication’ will enter into effect on 28 May 2022.

Please note: The effective date of this measure is not yet final. Entry into force is subject to its passing through the upper and lower houses of parliament or proclamation of the Order in Council (Algemene Maatregel van Bestuur, AMvB) or ministerial decree and publication in the Staatsblad or Staatscourant (Government Gazette, in Dutch).