Three of Britain’s best-known high-street names have been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after the watchdog found their Black Friday promotions overstated the true value of the discounts on offer, in a ruling that will sharpen the focus on pricing claims across the retail sector this Christmas.

The regulator concluded that John Lewis, Boots and Debenhams each breached the advertising code by presenting reference prices that could not be substantiated as genuine established selling prices, the long-standing benchmark by which savings claims are judged.

In John Lewis’s case, two laptop promotions came under scrutiny. A MacBook Air advertised with a £150 saving against an earlier price of £849 was found not to meet the threshold, with third-party pricing data indicating the higher figure had only been in place briefly before the promotion began. A separate Asus laptop, advertised with a £450 reduction, was likewise judged not to represent a genuine saving.

The ASA also upheld complaints against Debenhams over banners offering discounts of “up to 44%”, and against Boots over a fragrance promotion marked down from £80 to £60, ruling that there was insufficient evidence in either case that the higher prices reflected the goods’ usual selling prices.

The interventions form part of the ASA’s expanding programme of AI-assisted monitoring, which has already produced action against travel firms and the online retailer Very over similar pricing claims. The watchdog has made clear that its proactive Active Ad Monitoring system is being scaled up to identify suspect promotions at speed, particularly around high-stakes trading events such as Black Friday and the January sales.

Emily Henwood, an operations manager at the ASA, said consumers were entitled to expect that Black Friday bargains were the real thing. Retailers, she added, must remember that promotional events do not buy them an exemption from the rules and that any advertised discount must be capable of being proved.

The rulings sit within a broader pattern. Consumer research has repeatedly shown that headline Black Friday savings are not all they seem, with one widely reported study finding only one in seven so-called Black Friday bargains offered a genuine discount compared with prices charged at other points in the year. The CAP Code is unambiguous on the point: under its promotional savings claims guidance, reference prices must reflect a genuine, established usual selling price and the higher figure must have been available for a meaningfully longer period than the discounted one.

For boards, finance directors and marketing leads at SMEs that take their cue from larger retailers, the message is straightforward. The regulator is no longer reliant solely on consumer complaints to police pricing; algorithmic monitoring is doing much of the heavy lifting, and the bar of proof for “was/now” claims is being applied with increasing rigour. Recent enforcement against Nationwide over its branch closure advertising and Huel and Zoe over undisclosed commercial ties to Steven Bartlett underline that the ASA is willing to take on household names where it believes consumers have been misled.

George McLellan, a partner in the dispute resolution team at law firm Sharpe Pritchard who has defended advertisers in ASA investigations, said the latest decisions showed the regulator at its most effective. “These rulings show the ASA at its most effective: tackling straightforward cases of potentially misleading advertising that directly affect consumers,” he said. “I hope the ASA and CAP continue to prioritise this kind of core regulatory enforcement over broader attempts to influence social policy through advertising rules.”

For consumers, the practical takeaway is that scepticism remains the sharpest tool in the shopper’s arsenal. For retailers, the cost of a censure now goes well beyond a corrective ruling: reputational damage, the prospect of follow-on action from the Competition and Markets Authority under its strengthened consumer powers, and the wider chilling effect on customer trust all argue for tighter discipline around how discounts are constructed and communicated.

If Black Friday is to remain a serious commercial fixture rather than a marketing folk tale, the burden of proof, the ASA has made clear, sits squarely with the retailer.

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Ford Motor Co. is partnering with Seattle-based outdoor brand Filson to launch a new Bronco SUV aimed at consumers who value rugged utility, outdoor adventure and products built to last for generations.

The companies announced Tuesday that the first-ever Bronco Filson SUV will debut on June 3.

“It is definitely catered to those that really have the appreciation for the outdoors, but [those who] also have an appreciation for products that you buy for the durability and the legacy of them standing up over time,” Dave Rivers, head of Ford Enthusiast Brands, told FOX Business. 

“Think about Broncos from the ’60s that now go for over $100,000 – ones that are passed on through generations. … The same exists for Filson.”

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The companies said the Bronco Filson collaboration is also rooted in a shared commitment to craftsmanship and American manufacturing.

“We’re both American-made. Bronco is assembled at our Michigan assembly plant, and Filson has their manufacturing footprint in the Pacific Northwest. So we have that common thread of American manufacturing,” Rivers said.

Unlike traditional marketing partnerships, Ford said the collaboration was designed directly into the vehicle itself.

“This is actually us collaborating with them to take the best of what Filson is and the best of what Bronco is and bringing it together in the product,” Rivers said.

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The Bronco Filson is intended to function both as a daily driver and a capable off-road vehicle for outdoor enthusiasts, according to Neil Morgan, head of strategy at Filson.

“It also has the capabilities of being your commuting vehicle, but I’d say it really is attractive to those people that have that adventurous, outdoor spirit,” Morgan told FOX Business.

The automaker and Filson previously collaborated in 2020 on the Ford Bronco x Filson Wildland Fire Rig concept vehicle, which supported wildfire conservation efforts through the National Forest Foundation.

“We’re teaming up with Filson in this brand collaboration to redefine the rugged premium utility space,” Rivers said. “Between the two of us, we have just a tremendously long history in this space.”

Morgan added, “This is a partnership many years in the making.”

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The announcement follows another recent Ford partnership with workwear brand Carhartt.

Earlier this month, Ford and Carhartt announced a collaboration focused on industries such as construction, manufacturing, public services and skilled trades.

The companies also introduced a Ford Super Duty Carhartt truck, a Super Duty XLT pickup co-developed by the two brands.

Mumbai: Battered shares of Information Technology companies advanced on Tuesday for the third straight trading session, as a weakening rupee lifted sentiment, offsetting recent concerns over AI-related disruptions.

The Nifty IT index jumped 3.2% on Tuesday and clocked 7% gains in three sessions, signalling a turnaround after a prolonged bout of downsides. The benchmark Nifty, which ended 0.1% lower, is down 0.3% in the past three days.

Coforge, Infosys and LTM (erstwhile LTI Mindtree) gained 4-5% on Tuesday, while other constituents were up between 1.7% and 3.2%.

“The rupee hitting fresh lows has improved sentiment around IT companies, as it could lead to a 150-200 basis point improvement in their margins,” said Anshul Jethi, research analyst, LKP Securities.

The rupee made a record low of 96.61 against the dollar on Tuesday.

As software services exporters earn most of their revenues in US dollars, a weaker rupee against the dollar boosts their margins.
According to Sushovon Nayak, research analyst at Anand Rathi Institutional Equities, recent developments such as the Globant management highlighting the importance of IT services firms in AI implementation, Cognizant increasing its buyback size, and some weakness in leveraged US AI-infrastructure stocks on the back of higher US bond yields, have improved investor sentiment towards the IT sector. The Nifty IT index is down nearly 23% this year, against Nifty 50’s fall of 9.7%, as the launch of new AI tools, aimed at increasing productivity, is perceived to be a threat to the business of traditional IT services providers.

Investors may have overreacted to concerns around AI taking the place of traditional software systems, said analysts.

“Our recent interactions with TCS management suggest that nearly 95% of enterprises still operate on legacy models and have yet to meaningfully adopt AI, indicating growth opportunity for the sector remains,” said Sumit Pokharna, vice-president – fundamental research, at Kotak Securities.

“However, part of the cost benefits to these firms from AI is likely to be passed on to clients, which may lead to revenue deflation,” he said.

The sharp recovery in the past three sessions comes as valuations of top Indian software exporters fall to the levels seen in the global financial crisis in 2008-09. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, HCL Technologies and Wipro are trading at trailing price-earnings (P/E) multiples between 15 and 18, the lower end of the spectrum, indicating lower-than-average valuations.

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The rebound may continue, but it will be marked by sharp swings amid intermittent concerns around AI product launches.

“We expect a J-curve recovery in IT revenues going ahead,” said Nayak. He likes LTM, Tech Mahindra and Infosys amongst the large caps, and prefers Mphasis and Persistent Systems in the mid-cap IT space.

Pokharna said large-cap IT valuations remain attractive, and he maintains a positive view on TCS, Infosys and Tech Mahindra.

“While LLM companies may disrupt market shares of traditional IT players and FY27 could remain challenging for the sector, AI adoption could improve their productivity,” said Jethi, who is positive on Persistent Systems and HCL Technologies. “Valuations in the sector have also turned attractive enough for investors to take a contrarian view on the AI theme.”