Sports Direct advertisement banned for misleading RRP claims

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an advertisement from Sports Direct after determining that its claims regarding a recommended retail price (RRP) and associated savings were misleading.

The ruling concerned a Puma Women’s Zipped Baselayer Top advertised on the Sports Direct website in February 2026. The advertisement featured a price of £17 alongside a struck-through RRP of £45, accompanied by an “up to 50% off” message. While Sports Direct provided documentation from Puma stating the RRP had been £45, the ASA concluded that a manufacturer’s recommended price does not prove the product is generally sold at that level across the market.

Evidence showed the product was being sold for £17 by another Frasers Group retailer and for £23 by a different online sporting goods store. The ASA stated that the RRP and savings claims were not genuine because the quoted price did not reflect the product’s usual selling price across retailers. Sports Direct, owned by Frasers Group, has expressed that the decision is “fundamentally wrong” and intends to contest the ruling.