High-street pharmacy giants Boots and Superdrug have been accused of misleading customers with “dodgy deals” after an investigation into loyalty pricing at their stores.
Consumer champion Which? compared prices across the two businesses during a six-month period in 2025, finding hundreds of cases where loyalty deals indicated a greater saving for members than in reality.
Which? says it has referred both Boots and Superdrug to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), alleging that the companies have gone against the watchdog’s guidance on loyalty pricing promotions.
One of the examples given by Which? is an Avene moisturiser that was on sale at a Boots store for £16.50 for loyalty scheme members and £22 for everyone else. However, immediately before the deal, it was on offer for all customers at £17.60, with a “was” price of £22.
Following the loyalty deal, it was on offer for £16.50 for all customers, still with a “was” price of £22. Which? claims that this is misleading, as the product did not cost £22 for at least a month either side of the loyalty promotional period.
Which? compared nearly 700 loyalty deals from Boots during a six-month period, and found that 119 (17 per cent) were presented in a way that could mislead. In the same period, it compared 6,000 deals at Superdrug and found similar issues in 162 cases (3 per cent).
Superdrug argued that the prices highlighted by Which? only made up a small proportion of its thousands of loyalty price promotions.
At Superdrug, the consumer group found an example of a Simple skincare bundle that was priced at £4.98 for loyalty members and £9.98 for other customers. However, immediately before that, the bundle was priced at £4.80 for everyone (and marked as “reduced” from £9.98), and afterwards it was £4.49 for everyone (also “reduced” from £9.98).
The CMA has previously said in a report on loyalty pricing that “concerns” could arise under consumer law where the price of a product subject to a promotion is changed to make the promotion look more attractive.
It added: “This may occur where the non-loyalty price is increased at the start of, or shortly before, a loyalty price promotion and then reduced when, or shortly after, the promotion has ended.”
The investigation carried out by the consumer protection watchdog in 2024 found that loyalty card discounts in supermarkets offer a genuine saving most of the time. However, researchers add that 40 per cent of shoppers remain mistrustful that this is the case.
Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy at Which?, said: “Boots was a loyalty scheme pioneer with its Advantage Card, but the retailer seems to be taking its customers for a ride by making some of its deals look better than they really are.
“It’s concerning that Boots’s rival Superdrug seems to be employing similar dodgy-looking pricing tactics – meaning shoppers at two of the biggest players in the health and beauty sector are at risk of being misled.
“The CMA must be prepared to use its powers to create a meaningful deterrent for underhanded pricing practices, so consumers can trust that deals are genuine.”
A Boots spokesperson said: “At Boots we strive to deliver great value for money for our customers every day. Boots Advantage Card members benefit from earning points on their purchases, enjoy an ongoing 10 per cent discount on Boots own brand products, and have access to exclusive promotional prices.
“We welcome the loyalty pricing report from the CMA and the clarification it provides. Boots is a strong supporter of transparency to consumers and consistent standards across all retailers in the industry. We have taken on board the report’s guidance and have been working diligently to ensure all our promotions are aligned to it.”
A Superdrug spokesperson said: “As an accessible health and beauty retailer, we strive to deliver value to all our customers, and especially our Health & Beautycard members, who save more with our most competitive pricing and a range of points and reward opportunities.
“Across the year we offer regular promotions to all customers, as well as favourable members-only pricing. This ensures our pricing is competitive across the market, but also that our most loyal shoppers can purchase at the best prices most frequently via member events. We always aim to offer value and savings to customers, ensuring we are clear, fair and reward loyalty.”
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