Unit Pricing to be Piloted at Major Supermarkets in Singapore

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

(View Media Release in PDF)

1. The Consumers Association of Singapore (“CASE”) and the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (“CCCS”) are working with major supermarket operators in Singapore to pilot the display of unit prices for selected grocery items. The pilot will take place later this year at selected supermarket outlets of NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage, Giant, Sheng Siong, and Prime Supermarket islandwide.

2. A unit price is the price per unit of measurement of a product such as “$X per litre” or “$Y per kilogram”. The display of the applicable unit price, alongside the selling price, is intended to help consumers compare the prices of products easily across different brands and package sizes to make more informed purchasing decisions.

3. The pilot will provide an opportunity for consumers to try out the use of unit prices for commonly purchased grocery products such as rice, meat, eggs, cooking oils, fruits and vegetables and give feedback on their experiences. The pilot will also allow supermarket operators to test different ways of displaying unit prices to ensure that the information is clearly communicated to consumers.

4. As part of the pilot, CCCS will engage a market survey firm to gather feedback from consumers on the benefits and manner of display of unit prices. This feedback will provide valuable insight on how the display of unit prices can be refined to better meet consumers’ needs. Consumers are encouraged to look out for more information to be rolled out during the unit pricing pilot.

5. Mr Melvin Yong, President, CASE, said: “Unit pricing helps consumers see through pricing gimmicks quickly and easily. It is also a useful tool to address shrinkflation. I am therefore glad that the Government has heeded our calls to pilot unit pricing at the major supermarkets. CASE will support the pilot by stepping up consumer education. CASE has implemented unit pricing for more than 6,000 products on our Price Kaki app since 2023. We are happy to share our experience and lessons learnt with the pilot team.”

6. Mr Alvin Koh, Chief Executive, CCCS, said: “CCCS welcomes the joint initiative by CASE and the participation of major supermarket operators to pilot the use of unit pricing. Unit pricing can help consumers choose products that provide better value for money, and in turn encourage businesses to compete in offering better prices to consumers.”

7. Mr Vipul Chawla, Group CEO, FairPrice Group, said: “As the nation’s largest retailer, FairPrice Group is committed to making every day a little better for all in Singapore by keeping daily essentials within reach. We are thrilled to collaborate with the Government on this pilot and are confident that it will enable us to deliver even greater value and affordability to our customers, by helping them make informed decisions on what goes into their grocery basket.”

8. Mr Lim Hock Chee, CEO, Sheng Siong Group Ltd, said: “Sheng Siong supports the unit pricing initiative as price transparency empowers our customers with the clarity to easily compare product prices. With unit pricing in place, we believe our customers can make informed choices and stretch their dollars. We look forward to collaborating with the Government and CASE in implementing this initiative.”

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About the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE)

The Consumers Association of Singapore (“CASE”) is an independent, non-profit organisation that is committed to protecting consumers’ interest through information and education and promoting an environment of fair and ethical trade practices. One of its key achievements is in advocating for the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act 2003 (“CPFTA”) which came into effect on 1 March 2004.

For more information, please visit www.case.org.sg.  

About the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS)

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (“CCCS”) is a statutory board of the Ministry of Trade and Industry. CCCS administers and enforces the Competition Act 2004 which empowers CCCS to investigate and adjudicate anti-competitive activities, issue directions to stop or prevent anti-competitive activities and impose financial penalties. CCCS is also the administering agency of the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act 2003 or (“CPFTA”) which protects consumers against unfair trade practices in Singapore.  Our mission is to make markets work well to create opportunities and choices for businesses and consumers in Singapore. 

For more information, please visit www.cccs.gov.sg.