Courts / Ireland / Report

Lidl wins action over allegedly 'flawed' price survey commissioned by Aldi

Summary

In a High Court judgment on 8 March 2022, Lidl secured a judicial review of a 2018 price survey commissioned by Aldi and conducted by Grant Thornton. Lidl alleged that the survey's methodology was flawed, particularly that it failed to compare 'like with like' products and that Aldi's prices were taken from a master list rather than in‑store prices. The survey, which compared an average basket of 62 items from Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, SuperValu and Dunne's Stores, had concluded that Aldi was the cheaper retailer. Lidl's formal complaint to Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI) was initially dismissed by an independent committee, which found no case against Grant Thornton. An independent review later confirmed methodological weaknesses, prompting the matter to be remitted back to the CAI for a fresh reconsideration by a new review committee. The High Court agreed that the decision was legally flawed and quashed it, allowing Lidl to pursue a new review of the complaint.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Lidl wins action over allegedly 'flawed' price survey commissioned by Aldi. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• February 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2022-03-08 Publication

Why: Lidl claimed the methodology of the survey was flawed because it did not, in several instances, compare 'like with like' products. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report