BULGARIA: Lidl faces fine for misleading advertisement | Progresiv
The Commission for Protection of Competition (KZK) established that Lidl Bulgaria had committed an offence through a misleading advertising campaign. As a result, KZK imposed a sanction on Lidl amounting to nearly 1.9 million leva (971,000 euros), which represents 0.35 % of the company's turnover for the previous financial year. This concerns the “Win 366 days of free shopping at Lidl” campaign, which has been identified as misleading and its terms and conditions as incomplete. 
According to KZK, there is discontinuity in the conduct of the campaign, in particular in the announcement of the main parameters such at the terms of the campaign and the mechanism for participation. According to the general conditions, the campaign is held in two stages, with considerable differences in each of the stages. There are differences in the terms for participation (in one case purchase is required, in the other it is not required) and the prizes awarded.
As the message “Win 366 days of free shopping at Lidl” was communicated throughout the campaign on all promotional materials, it has been identified as incorrect and misleading for consumers. By not making clear distinction between the two stages, consumers might have been misled into thinking that the big prize could be won throughout the campaign, while in fact it could have been won only in the second stage. This could have led to confusion among consumers and their inability to make an informed decision. So far, there has been no official reaction from Lidl, but the company is expected to appeal the fine. (www.novinite.com)
