The ad watchdog has upheld a complaint by Homebase that B&Q extended the date of two promotions without a good enough reason.
B&Q ran an offer on fitted kitchen, bedroom and bathroom furniture that began on March 22 this year and which was due to run until April 25. However, the retailer then produced a national press ad and an in-store flyer extending the offer to May 9.

Homebase told the Advertising Standards Authority that it thought the promotion was misleading and had not been conducted fairly because the closing date had been extended without good cause.

B&Q replied that it had prolonged the offer because of lower than expected sales, which it considered was a legitimate reason. It pointed out that the extension had been publicised before the original end date, and that the original ads had not over-exaggerated the need for consumers to respond or suggested the offer was time limited.

The original end date was the 'minimum' end date, ie, the date until which the offer would definitely be available, B&Q said, and it did not think that customers who took up the offer before the original April 25 date were disadvantaged - it thought customers would in fact benefit from an offer being extended.

However, the ASA decided that the original ads did suggest customers would have to take up the offer before April 25, and that because the date was then extended anyone who had hurried to take advantage of the offer before the original date had been disadvantaged.

It said disappointing sales, while not in itself within B&Q's control, was an insufficient and avoidable reason for the offer to be run on, and told the company to ensure closing dates of promotions were not extended unless circumstances outside its reasonable control made it unavoidable.