What: Frasers Group CFO Chris Wootton has written to the ASA arguing its recommended retail price guidance creates unlawful barriers to price competition.

Why it is important: The dispute highlights growing tension between retailers and regulators over how discount claims can be substantiated in a cost-of-living climate.

Frasers Group chief financial officer Chris Wootton has written to the chair and chief executive of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), urging it to rethink its approach to recommended retail prices (RRPs). Wootton argued the ASA's guidance creates "unreasonable" and "unlawful" barriers to price competition, and, referencing the cost-of-living crisis, said it is making it harder for traders to promote genuine discounts while effectively supporting retail price maintenance by brands.

Wootton said Frasers does not engage in "rip-off discounts" or "phoney bargains," verifying its RRPs against realistic market prices, and argued there is nothing inherently objectionable about RRPs, which are used across the market by major brands. He pointed to the ASA's republished guidance, which restricts using manufacturer RRPs as sole substantiation, bars solo sellers from citing an RRP, and requires RRPs not be significantly different from the "generally sold" price.

Wootton concluded that the current approach could push traders to abandon RRPs altogether, harming consumers, while regulators do little about retail price maintenance and price gouging by brands.

IADS Notes: The debate over recommended retail prices sits within a broader tightening of scrutiny on how retailers set and communicate prices. Bloomberg reported in April 2026 that Amazon faced regulatory investigation over alleged price-fixing affecting Walmart and Home Depot, illustrating how anti-competitive pricing concerns are drawing increasing regulatory attention across the sector. On the discounting side, Financial Times coverage from January 2026 described luxury discounting reaching historic highs as years of price increases eroded consumer willingness to pay full price, pushing brands toward outlet channels and slower price growth. More recently, Business of Fashion reported in July 2026 on promotional fatigue in beauty retail, as overlapping discounts across Amazon, Sephora, Ulta and TikTok Shop pushed brands to shift from blanket markdowns toward more selective, loyalty-driven pricing strategies. Together, these entries frame RRP-based discount claims as one part of a wider industry reckoning with pricing transparency, competitive pressure, and consumer trust in "savings."

Frasers CFO writes letter to ASA urging change to 'unlawful barriers' to price competition