Description: The federal Competition Bureau is suing Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) under allegations of deceptive pricing. Apparently, HBC listed a sleep set with a sale price of $788, noting that the regular price was $1,998. The problem was, HBC hadn’t sold a single unit at the regular price, prompting the Bureau to believe the retailer had misled its customers. HBC intends to argue against the complaint.

Date: February 22, 2017

Source: theglobeandmail.com

Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/competition-watchdog-sues-hbc-alleges-deceptive-pricing/article34108950/

Discussion Points:

1) Have you ever seen a situation like this where the sale price appears to be compared with an unrealistic regular price? What did you do?

2)  Were you surprised that the Competition Bureau can take action on a case like this?

3)  What role might an accountant have in defending HBC against such accusations?