The Competition and Market Authority (CMA) has threatened mattress company Emma Sleep with a lawsuit unless it “commits to changing its practices”.
The regulator opened an investigation into the Emma Group back in 2022 over the use of online urgency claims, such as countdown clocks.
At the time, the CMA said it would engage with the Emma Group to consider whether the group may have broken consumer protection law.
As a result of this investigation, the regulator sent a consultation letter last July after it found specific concerns about Emma Sleep’s online sales practices. It asked the Group to take steps to address the issues the regulator had, including its use of countdown timers.
Despite that, the CMA revealed on Wednesday that Emma Group has not yet agreed to provide undertakings that are sufficient to address the CMA’s concerns.
The competition regulator said has now informed the Emma Group that it is preparing to take court action and will launch proceedings if it does not commit to changing its practices without unnecessary delay.
The CMA stated it has issued the group with a letter before claim, which is the standard pre-action protocol procedure before a lawsuit is launched.
Last December, the regulator also opened a probe into mattress seller Simba Sleep amid concerns it could be misleading shoppers with price reduction claims. This came a month after online deals website Wowcher was told to stop using pressure selling tactics “to avoid the risk of court action”.