A teleshopping presentation for Viners cutlery was misleading because the statement "it's British, it's Sheffield" implied that it was made in Sheffield, when it wasn't.
That was the conclusion of the Advertising Standards Authority after someone complained that Bid TV's presentation on an 18-piece Viners cutlery set gave a false impression about its manufacturing source.

The presenter stated: "Take a look at Viners. This is British tradition, craftsmanship at its finest. What we're about to show you is an 18-piece divine cutlery set ... It is not only the very heart of the Sheffield makers ... The heart of Sheffield, one of the most famous and one of the great cities in the world. What they've done, Viners have created the ambition of quality and design since 1901 ... To have quality cutlery in that drawer from the very heart of Sheffield ... it's Viners ... A quality set and I love it because it's British, it's Sheffield, it's Viners, it's quality."

Bid TV defended itself by pointing out that the presenter had not actually said that the product was "made in Sheffield". Instead, the presenter was acknowledging that Viners was a British company with a strong British tradition, based in Sheffield, and customers would be buying into everything the company stood for - a British and Sheffield brand with a manufacturing tradition.

However, the ASA said that Viners cutlery was not made in the UK but that statements such as "quality cutlery ... from the very heart of Sheffield" and "it's British, it's Sheffield" were likely to give the impression that it was. The ad was therefore misleading.

It told Bid TV to ensure that claims of place of manufacture did not mislead in future.