Introduction
On 15 March 2025, the Consumers Association of Singapore and the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (“CCCS“) announced that they are collaborating with major supermarket operators to pilot the display of unit prices for selected grocery items. This initiative aims to help consumers easily compare product prices across different brands and package sizes, leading to more informed purchasing decisions. Unit pricing refers to the price per unit of measurement, such as “$X per litre” or “$Y per kilogram.”
This Update highlights key points of the upcoming pilot and the potential impact on businesses.
Pilot Launch
This pilot will be conducted later this year at selected outlets of NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage, Giant, Sheng Siong, and Prime Supermarket across Singapore.
Consumers will have the opportunity to use unit prices for commonly purchased grocery items like rice, meat, eggs, cooking oils, fruits, and vegetables, as well as give feedback on their experiences.
Supermarket operators will test various methods of displaying unit prices to ensure that information is communicated clearly, so that consumers can make informed decisions.
CCCS will engage a market survey firm to obtain consumer feedback on the benefits and display methods of unit prices, in order to refine the display of unit prices to better meet the needs of consumers.
Impact on Businesses
This pilot underscores CCCS’s commitment to enhancing consumer protection and ensuring fair market practices. Improving price transparency – including unit pricing – is one of the tools which CCCS has emphasised to empower consumers to make better choices and to encourage price competition between businesses. This follows CCCS’s earlier emphasis on price transparency, including the roll-out of price transparency guidelines and recent enforcement action relating to price transparency (refer here for our earlier Client Update on “Consumer Protection in Singapore – Five Key Observations for Businesses in a Heightened Enforcement Climate”).
While the above scheme is not a mandatory regulation rolled out to all retailers, the introduction of unit pricing may nevertheless influence retailers’ pricing strategies. Retailers may wish to consider providing unit pricing, to build customer trust and to better compete by clearly showing the value of their offerings.
Businesses, both large and small, must be proactive in complying with consumer and competition regulations to maintain consumer trust and avoid potential legal issues. Staying informed and adapting to these changes will be crucial for sustaining positive customer relationships and upholding a strong market presence.
Industry stakeholders are encouraged to stay informed about the upcoming unit pricing pilot.
For more information, please refer to the media release on “Unit Pricing to be Piloted at Major Supermarkets in Singapore“.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to our Team if you have any questions regarding this Update or the implications for your business.
Disclaimer
Rajah & Tann Asia is a network of member firms with local legal practices in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Our Asian network also includes our regional office in China as well as regional desks focused on Brunei, Japan and South Asia. Member firms are independently constituted and regulated in accordance with relevant local requirements.
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Please note also that whilst the information in this publication is correct to the best of our knowledge and belief at the time of writing, it is only intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter and should not be treated as legal advice or a substitute for specific professional advice for any particular course of action as such information may not suit your specific business and operational requirements. You should seek legal advice for your specific situation. In addition, the information in this publication does not create any relationship, whether legally binding or otherwise. Rajah & Tann Asia and its member firms do not accept, and fully disclaim, responsibility for any loss or damage which may result from accessing or relying on the information in this publication.
