Australian retailers have been warned to ensure their Black Friday promotions are genuine, as the ACCC steps up scrutiny of discounting practices ahead of the 2026 Black Friday sales period.

The warning follows penalties totalling $59,400 issued to furniture retailer James Lane and outdoor play equipment company Vuly over alleged misleading representations about the duration of Black Friday and other promotional sales in 2025.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said both businesses paid infringement notices after the regulator raised concerns that their advertising created a false sense of urgency by suggesting discounts would end at specified times when the promotions continued beyond those dates.

James Lane, operated by The Sleeping Giant Pty Ltd, paid $19,800 after receiving one infringement notice.

The ACCC said James Lane advertised that its Black Friday sale would end on 3 December 2025, including advertising stating “Sale ends today!”. According to the regulator, the discounted prices continued for another week.

The ACCC’s investigation found that James Lane had decided before the Black Friday promotion began that the discount would be extended beyond the advertised end date.

Vuly Play Group, operated by Systems Operations Pty Ltd, paid $39,600 following two infringement notices relating to its Click Frenzy and Black Friday promotions in November 2025.

The ACCC said Vuly advertised products, including a trampoline, with discounts of “up to 30% off” during its Click Frenzy promotion, accompanied by a countdown timer showing when the offer would expire.

When the countdown ended, the regulator said the promotion was replaced by another sale offering discounts of up to 45%, with the countdown timer reset to a new end date.

The ACCC said a similar situation occurred during Vuly’s Black Friday promotion. The company advertised discounts of up to 45% with a countdown ending on Black Friday, but the discounts continued afterwards and the timer was reset.

ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said retailers needed to ensure advertised sale periods and countdown timers reflected the genuine duration of promotions.

The regulator said countdown timers and claims that an offer is available for a limited time can create pressure for consumers to make rushed purchasing decisions.

The latest action follows an ACCC sweep of Black Friday advertising in 2025, which identified potentially concerning practices among around half of the 50 retailers reviewed. Issues included misleading countdown timers, “sitewide” or “storewide” claims with exclusions, “up to” discount claims and potentially misleading “was/now” pricing. 

The regulator has also recently taken action against electronics retailer digiDirect, which paid $99,000 after the ACCC alleged its strikethrough discount claims were misleading. 

For retailers preparing their 2026 Black Friday campaigns, the ACCC’s latest action highlights the need to ensure promotional end dates, countdown timers and discount claims accurately reflect the offers available to consumers.

James Lane and Vuly have committed to the ACCC that their future sales advertising will comply with the Australian Consumer Law.

The ACCC has stressed that infringement notices are administrative penalties and do not constitute findings by a court that either company breached the law.