Attica Department Stores Respond to Black Friday Fine

Attica Department Stores has issued a statement in response to a €400,000 fine imposed by the Ministry of Development for alleged deceptive pricing practices during a previous Black Friday sale.

The company plans to pursue all available legal remedies, citing the need to protect its reputation, 2,200 employees, and 300 partners.

Attica contests the fine, arguing it's disproportionate and unfair given the circumstances surrounding the alleged infraction. The Ministry's inspection, conducted in July 2024 but announced four months later on Black Friday, flagged a pricing discrepancy on a single item out of 30,000 offered online. Attica maintains the error was technical, identified and corrected the same day, and resulted in no sales at the incorrect price. The correct price was registered in the accounting system, thus causing no harm to consumers.

Furthermore, Attica emphasizes its commitment to legal compliance and customer respect, highlighting a recent €30,000 investment in automated auditing software to prevent similar incidents. The company considers the €400,000 penalty excessive for a technical error involving approximately €300 in potential sales that never occurred.

Attica's Key Arguments:

• Timing of the announcement: The four-month delay, coinciding with Black Friday, suggests an attempt to damage the company's reputation.
• Scale of the fine: €400,000 is disproportionate to the alleged infraction, especially given the lack of actual consumer harm.
• Nature of the error: The pricing discrepancy was a technical glitch, quickly rectified, on a single item among tens of thousands.
• No consumer impact: No products were sold at the incorrect price.
• Proactive measures: Attica has invested in new software to prevent future errors.

The department store chain concludes its statement by reiterating its commitment to upholding the law and serving its customers, and its intention to pursue all legal avenues to challenge the fine.