James Lane and Vuly pay penalties for allegedly making misleading representations during last year’s Black Friday sales

Furniture retailer, The Sleeping Giant Pty Ltd trading as James Lane, and children’s play equipment retailer, Systems Operations Pty Ltd trading as Vuly Play Group, have each paid penalties after the ACCC issued the retailers with infringement notices for allegedly making misleading representations to consumers about the duration of their Black Friday sales. 

The ACCC alleges that James Lane and Vuly made misleading representations to consumers by claiming in their advertising that products would only be discounted for a limited time when, in fact, the discounts continued after the advertised end date for the sale. 

“We are concerned that retailers are increasingly using tactics that create a false sense of urgency, pressuring consumers to make rushed purchasing decisions for fear of missing out on a discount,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.

“These claims also hurt competition as they can discourage consumers from shopping around.”

During the ACCC’s sweep of Black Friday sales advertising last year, James Lane advertised that its sale would end on 3 December 2025. However, the products continued to be advertised and sold at the discounted price for another week. In its investigation, the ACCC found that James Lane had decided in advance of its Black Friday sale that the discount would be extended beyond the advertised end date. 

James Lane has paid a penalty of $19,800 for this conduct after the ACCC issued it with one infringement notice. 

“We allege that James Lane created a false sense of urgency for consumers by using an early end date for its sale and statements such as “Sale ends today!” despite the retailer deciding in advance that its sale would be extended,” Ms Lowe said.

Separately, the ACCC’s sweep also identified that Vuly may have made misleading representations to consumers in November 2025 in relation to the duration of the discounts that applied in its “Click Frenzy” and Black Friday sales.