Three major Australian retailers have been penalised for allegedly misleading consumers with false “sitewide” discount claims during 2024’s Black Friday sales.

Michael Hill, MyHouse, and Hairhouse Online have each paid a $19,800 infringement notice after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) found their advertising misrepresented the scope of their sales.

The penalties follow an ACCC sweep of promotional material from last year’s Black Friday and post-Christmas sales, where several retailers were found to have exaggerated or inaccurately described their discount offers.

ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said the regulator alleged the businesses falsely promoted their Black Friday sales as applying “sitewide”, when in fact significant exclusions applied.

“We allege these claims misled consumers into believing that all items were discounted or that the discounts were greater than they actually were,” Lowe said.

“Sitewide or storewide sales should be just that. If there are exclusions, they need to be clear and prominent – not hidden in small print.”

Jewellery chain Michael Hill was penalised over an online ad stating “25% off Sitewide”, despite some items not being discounted at all.

Homewares brand MyHouse also received an infringement notice over an ad claiming “Up to 60% Off Sitewide + EXTRA 20% off”, with the ACCC asserting that the extra discount did not apply to all products.

Meanwhile, Hairhouse Online advertised “SAVE 20% to 50% SITEWIDE” during its Black Friday campaign, though over a quarter of its products were excluded from the sale.

The ACCC has warned retailers that it will be closely monitoring upcoming end-of-financial-year (EOFY) promotions to ensure similar conduct is not repeated.

“Businesses that mislead shoppers not only harm consumers but also gain an unfair advantage over honest competitors,” Lowe said.