Closing Down Sale...?

pulliptears

Just curious if this is legal.

A shop in our local town has had a sign outside saying "Closing Down" for 12 months. To make it look plausable they even have a "To Let" sign, homemade and stuck in the window.

Now in this 12 months they constantly restock and are obviously not, nor ever have been closing.

What would trading standards make of it?

Alias_Omega

Tbh this is a ploy to get people into the store.

Look at how many shops have 'SALE', 'EVERY THING MUST GO' in the window, only to go inside and find a few items that no one would want to buy inside.

Its all about getting numbers through the doors..

pulliptears

Alias_Omega wrote: »

Tbh this is a ploy to get people into the store.

Look at how many shops have 'SALE', 'EVERY THING MUST GO' in the window, only to go inside and find a few items that no one would want to buy inside.

Its all about getting numbers through the doors..

Yep, but surely it cant be legal?

Bamber19

Why not? There's no proof that they have no intention of closing down and you're point about the "To Let" sign is redundant as you don't need to go through a letting agency to advertise property, you can do it yourself.

fudgeukraine

don't know, but why does it really matter? you thinking of leasing the shop?

pulliptears

It matters because they are supposedly selling off stock in a closing down sale that they are saying is reduced, when its never been full price to start with. I.E a jacket they have had in there at £89.99 for 2 and a half years thats now miraculously Closing Down stock and reduced from £139.99 to "Only £89.99!"
Its misleading to say the least.

Dave_the_Indestructible

pulliptears wrote: »

Just curious if this is legal.

A shop in our local town has had a sign outside saying "Closing Down" for 12 months. To make it look plausable they even have a "To Let" sign, homemade and stuck in the window.

Now in this 12 months they constantly restock and are obviously not, nor ever have been closing.

What would trading standards make of it?

Business was so good they they decided to reopen?

(I doubt trading standards would care)

Dave_the_Indestructible

pulliptears wrote: »

It matters because they are supposedly selling off stock in a closing down sale that they are saying is reduced, when its never been full price to start with. I.E a jacket they have had in there at £89.99 for 2 and a half years thats now miraculously Closing Down stock and reduced from £139.99 to "Only £89.99!"
Its misleading to say the least.

Shop elsewhere, and be bouyed in the knowledge that they're closing down.

lemmings999

pulliptears wrote: »

It matters because they are supposedly selling off stock in a closing down sale that they are saying is reduced, when its never been full price to start with. I.E a jacket they have had in there at £89.99 for 2 and a half years thats now miraculously Closing Down stock and reduced from £139.99 to "Only £89.99!"
Its misleading to say the least.

that bit is a bit dodgy as to advertise an item at a reduced price it should have been sold at the higher price for a period of time

firespire

EU "Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD)" includes fake closing down sales as a deceptive trading practice but that won't come into UK law until April 2008.
Although there might be a current law banning these things already or maybe it comes under advertising standards rules, best talk to trading standards if you think the business is making up lies to sell goods.

taxiphil

There's a place called Textile Warehouse near me that's been closing down since 2001. The way they get round it is by putting "for refurbishment" in tiny lettering, under the massive "closing down" signs.

In this context the word "refurbishment" means that once a month they close half an hour early to swap around a few displays of their overpriced poor quality bed linen, and then the whole "closing down sale" begins again. Repeat ad infinitum.