Tesco Ireland has been convicted of failing to display product prices at one of its Dublin stores.

It was fined a total of €1,500 and ordered to pay €2,000 costs after admitting 28 breaches of Irish pricing regulations at its outlet in upmarket Dundrum.

The prosecution was launched by the National Consumer Agency, which has been tackling errant retailers and has several other cases in the pipeline.

According to the agency's chief executive Ann Fitzgerald, her staff have worked with retailers to make them aware of consumer law and have set up a liaison panel. "We prefer a co-operative approach rather than enforcing the legislation through the courts," she said. "But it is incumbent on retailers to ensure customers know the correct prices of all products before going to the checkouts."

A spokesman for Tesco apologised. "It should not have happened and we are reviewing our systems to ensure it does not happen again," he said.

Meanwhile, Tesco Ireland has completed a sale and leaseback arrangement for its new distribution facility in Donabate, Dublin. An investment syndicate assembled by KPMG has paid €116m for the 46-acre property, which will be leased back for 25 years at an initial annual rent of €7m.

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