Overview
- The Landgericht Heilbronn sided with the Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg, finding Lidl’s May 2025 price-cut campaign misleading for failing to make clear which items were reduced and in which stores.
- Lidl argued the figure of 500 referred to a mix of nationwide and regional reductions and said it would not publish a full product list for competitive reasons.
- The presiding judge said average shoppers reasonably assumed the advertised reductions would apply in their local market, with the court highlighting Lidl’s roughly 3,500 German branches.
- The decision is not yet final, with a written judgment due in the coming weeks and Lidl able to appeal to the Oberlandesgericht Stuttgart.
- Independent checks identified only about 270–300 reduced items and noted some increases later returned, while separate reporting has suggested a penalty of up to €250,000 if the disputed advertising continues.