MORRISONS is being investigated following complaints by discount grocers Aldi and Lidl about its Match and More loyalty scheme.

Aldi has made an official complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority while fellow discounter Lidl published a full-page advertisement in a national newspaper accusing the Bradford-based supermarket chain of a lack of clarity over its new points and discount programme.

Match and More offers extra loyalty points whenever a shopper pays for a product found to be cheaper elsewhere.

Morrisons launched the scheme in October as part of its battle to stem falling market share, which has been badly dented by Aldi and Lidl.

At the time of the launch Aldi took out full-page newspaper advertisements claiming Match and More was a scheme providing refunds after Morrisons overcharged rather than a discount offer.

Aldi has since made an official complaint to the ASA, claiming the price-match scheme lacks clarity in its terms and conditions, resulting in the watchdog launching an investigation.

An ASA spokesman confirmed it has received a total of 15 complaints, including one from Aldi, about the Morrisons Match and More TV and newspaper advertisements.

The complaints accuse Morrisons of misleading promotions because the adverts do not make clear how products are compared and that some product comparisons are so different that it makes the comparison misleading. Neither does the TV ad make clear that a minimum spend of £15 is required.

Morrisons is also accused of not making sufficiently clear rewards are made in points rather than cash which can only be redeemed on future purchases at Morrisons, once a minimum of £5 worth of points has been accrued.

The ASA spokesman also said that the TV advert did not make clear points will be awarded for the overall difference with a shop, rather than individual items.

Lidl said through a newspaper advert that claims made by Morrisons to be the cheapest had excluded Lidl from price comparison research on which the statement was made.

Morrisons has declined to comment on the Aldi and Lidl accusations. During a trading update following the Match and More launch, Morrisons chief executive Dalton Philips said: “We are the only supermarket that is price matching the discounters.”

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