Lidl France fined 43 million for misleading advertising

A court in Paris has fined Lidl 43 million euros for violating advertising rules, after its competitor Intermarché filed a complaint. If Carrefour does the same, that amount may still grow.

Years of legal dispute

The core of the dispute revolves around TV commercials about promotions: French law requires retailers to offer advertised products in their entire shop network for at least fifteen weeks, but Lidl stated in commercials that the offer would be available in only 500 stores. That is less than a third of the discounter’s total store network in France.

In 2020, Intermarché and Carrefour went to court a first time and were both already awarded millions. However, as Lidl persisted, Intermarché launched a new case. Lidl was acquitted in the first instance, but now the appeals court forces the discounter to pay 43 million euros to Intermarché. That amount should theoretically allow the retailer to answer Lidl’s deceptive television campaign with a campaign of its own, French magazine LSA reports.

The verdict is enforceable immediately, although Lidl can still appeal. According to retail watcher Olivier Dauvers, it is likely that Carrefour too will now claim further damages.