Sometimes in this job it’s hard to sit back, take time out and enjoy the great things happening in the industry.

It’s now more than three and a half years since Asda put an end to “the phoney price war of promotions” with the launch of the Asda Price Guarantee – and boy, haven’t we enjoyed this precious time of peace between the big supermarkets ever since.

Err… not so much, really. First there was the squabbling over the APG itself, before Asda launched the 10% price guarantee to ensure the end of price wars all over again. Tesco of course ran into trouble with its Double the Difference Price Promise that it launched to counter Asda, while Sainsbury’s has taken on both Asda and Tesco with its very own Brand Match.

Clearly peace and harmony is not something that is going to happen among the retailers any time soon. And so we come to today’s news that the ASA has dismissed Sainsbury’s complaint that Tesco should not be able to compare the prices of its own-label offering because Sainsbury’s is better – according to Sainsbury’s, of course.

In response to the ruling Sainsbury’s has launched a new ad campaign that shows a Tesco banana and a Sainsbury’s banana side by side. Both sell for the same price, but the Sainsbury’s one is Fairtrade, the Tesco one is not.

Another illustration shows Sainsbury’s Basics cooked ham, which has the same price as Tesco Everyday ham. The Sainsbury’s item comes from pork that is only ever sourced in the UK; Tesco’s does not make this claim.

Topics