Insider Media Limited

Nuneaton-based vitamin manufacturer and retailer Holland & Barratt has been forced to remove an advert which breached a "truthfulness" clause. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said a voucher promising money off additional purchases “must not appear again in its current form”.

The high-street chain, which supplies vitamins and mineral supplements, sent out an advertisement with the headline: “Up to half-price vitamins and supplements, save over £12." Text below it read: "Plus 10 per cent off your entire purchase."

But small print at the bottom of the email said: ‘This voucher is limited to one per customer. It entitles the customer to 10 per cent off their entire purchase’.

However, one customer lodged a complaint after reading the terms and conditions, which state: "Discount not available on sale items. Discount can only be claimed against items at full RRP ... Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers."

The ASA concluded that the advertisement was “misleading”. The authority added: “The ASA considered that the claim would be interpreted by readers to mean that by using the attached coupon they would receive a 10 per cent discount on any items they purchased at Holland and Barrett, in addition to any other reductions that were already in place.”

A spokesman for Holland & Barrett said: “It was both impractical and unnecessary to recite all the terms of a promotion in a header and that the email headline directed customers to the voucher which made clear the terms of the offer.”

The company said it had issued approximately 70,000 of the emails and received only one direct complaint in addition to the one received by the ASA.