New rules on price promotions from 28 May '22: The comeback of the reference price

Is your promotional strategy in line with the new regulations?

As of May 28, 2022, the regulations on price promotions will change dramatically. In short, the rules on announcing price promotions will become significantly stricter and there will be less flexibility for the advertiser in terms of the calculation method and presentation of the promotion. From now on, a company may only advertise a price promotion relative to the lowest price it applied in the thirty-day period preceding the announcement of the price reduction. Moreover, the reference price must be explicitly indicated in the price promotion.

The rules on price promotions are actively enforced by the FPS Economy. Violations are subject to serious sanctions, including criminal fines of up to EUR 80,000 or 4% of the total annual turnover.

Download the pdf written in Dutch.