As Australia's ACCC drags Coles to court over fake discounts, Kenyan shoppers will recognize the tactics: the same "abuse of buyer power" that cost Carrefour Sh1.1 billion in Nairobi.

A "Down Down" sticker in a supermarket aisle is supposed to signal relief. Instead, for millions of shoppers, it was a trap. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched a landmark federal case against retail giant Coles, accusing it of offering "utterly misleading" discounts. The scheme was simple but cynical: raise the price of a product for a brief period, then drop it slightly to claim a "discount" that was, in reality, still higher than the regular price.

For Kenyan consumers, this story is eerily familiar. It echoes the seismic ruling by the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) against Carrefour, proving that retail predation is a global pandemic.

The Global Playbook of Retail Abuse

The ACCC's allegations against Coles are a carbon copy of the practices that landed Majid Al Futtaim (Carrefour Kenya) in hot water.

• The "Was/Now" Lie: Coles allegedly spiked prices on 245 products just to establish a higher "Was" price.
• The Kenyan Parallel: Carrefour was fined KES 1.1 billion for forcing suppliers to offer rebates and pay "listing fees" that had no basis in reality, effectively funding their own discounts at the supplier's expense.
• The Victim: In both cases, the consumer is manipulated, and the supplier is squeezed.

Why It Matters in Nairobi

The Coles case validates the aggressive stance taken by the CAK. It demonstrates that the Sh1.1 billion fine was not an anomaly but a necessary corrective in a sector prone to bullying.

However, the Kenyan consumer remains vulnerable. While the CAK protects suppliers, "illusory discounts" on the shelf are harder to police. How many "Special Offers" in Nairobi supermarkets are genuine price drops, and how many are mathematical sleights of hand?

A Warning to Retailers

The legal battles in Melbourne and Nairobi send a singular message to the retail duopolies of the world: the era of opaque pricing is ending. Regulators are now using data forensics to track price histories, and the "illusory discount" is becoming a liability, not a marketing strategy.

If you see a "Mega Sale" sticker today, look closely. The only thing being discounted might be the truth.