Debenhams sold fake Black Friday discounts — and told the ASA its sellers were to blame

In November 2025 the revived Debenhams brand, now an online marketplace operated by DBZ Marketplace Online, ran two Black Friday banner ads: a bed frame marked '-44%', £349.00 against a crossed-out £619.00, and a hair styling tool marked '-21%', £379.99 against £479.99. The ASA's automated ad monitoring flagged both.

Debenhams argued it was not the advertiser: it operated a marketplace of over 20,000 third-party sellers who set their own prices and contracted to comply with pricing law, and monitoring each one was unreasonable. The ASA rejected the defence — because Debenhams hosted the offers, it was responsible for ensuring they represented genuine savings.

The bed had been advertised at £349 since April 2025, over six months, with no evidence of significant sales at £619; the hair tool had been discounted repeatedly in the prior six months. On 20 May 2026 the ASA upheld the complaint under CAP rules 3.1, 3.7 and 3.17 — neither saving was genuine. The ads must not appear again, and Debenhams said it had reinforced its guidance to sellers.

Debenhams blamed its marketplace sellers for setting prices, but the ASA held the platform liable for the ads, banning both banners.

The marketplace defence — sellers set their own prices — was the claim under test, and the ASA ruled that hosting an offer makes the platform answer for whether the saving is real.

The bed had been £349 since April 2025; with no sales history at £619, the 44% claim was arithmetic on a number chosen to make the price look better.

Contract clauses and onboarding guidance push duty onto sellers but not liability — the ASA judged the ad, not the seller agreement.

Marketplace platforms own the ads that carry their name: the ASA held Debenhams liable for third-party sellers' inflated discounts. 'Sellers set the prices' is not a defence.

Debenhams responded that while it does not set or control third-party sellers' pricing, it had taken steps to reinforce its guidance and requirements for sellers on advertising and pricing rules.