Overview
- Former pet-category head Paul Carroll agreed he sought to return a dog food item to a ‘Down Down’ price days after lifting it to $6, despite guardrails requiring four weeks at the higher price.
- Court documents show the dog food sold at $4 for about 300 days, rose to $6 for seven days, then ran at a ‘Down Down’ price of $4.50 for a year, 50 cents above its earlier level.
- Ex-commercial strategy head Rebecca Thompson conceded it was an error to move Arnott’s Shapes onto a ‘Down Down’ at $5.50 before the white-ticket price of $6.50 had been established for the required period.
- Group category manager Ed McCutchan testified he pushed to reach the ‘Down Down’ ticket on Coles-brand quince paste as soon as allowed and agreed the red tickets were more effective at driving sales than a plain ticket at the same price.
- Coles denies a planned campaign to mislead, citing supplier cost pressures and inflation, as the ACCC highlights fake discounting as a 2026 priority with Woolworths due in court in April and tougher price‑gouging rules starting in July.