“Poltronesofa, artigiani della qualità” (Poltronesofa, quality craftsmen), this slogan that the Italian sofa manufacturer has pounded on for years in its TV commercials is, in fact, false advertising.
If the company’s bars like to show the artisans dressed in their best aprons, in fact, like many of its competitors, Poltronesofa has its furniture manufactured industrially, in series, in large factories.
The General Directorate of Competition, Consumption and Fraud Prevention (DGCRF) thus condemned the French subsidiary of the company to a transactional fine of 800,000 euros “for deceptive commercial practices between 2017 and 2019”.
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“This agreement follows a survey carried out by the DDPP departments of Hauts-de-Seine in collaboration with the DDPP departments of Pas-de-Calais, Essonne, Alpes-Maritimes and Paris, regarding the use of the qualities of craftsman and master craftsman in company advertisements,” read a statement.
The manufacturer is also condemned for “the reality of certain promotional offers placed by the company in various stores between 2017 and 2019”. Throughout the year, Poltronesofa multiplies important promotional operations to attract customers to its points of sale (160 in Europe).
Poltronesofa’s use of the term “artisan” has also been strongly questioned in his own country for several years, in particular by Claai, an association representing artisan companies, which accuses the company of unfair competition. In 2019, a bill was even introduced to prohibit the misuse of this term under penalty of a fine of 25,000 euros.
Source: BFM TV
