“The findings have surprised some shoppers”

Recent years have seen a plethora of media comments about prices in Britain compared to overseas. This “rip‐off Britain” campaign culminated with the two‐year Competition Commission enquiry into supermarket retailing. International price comparisons, however, are not straightforward and there are many difficulties in their undertaking and in reporting such a complicated subject. This paper examines a BBC TV main news report on the night of the publication of the Competition Commission report and illustrates the problems in covering the subject. If we are to really understand pricing in British businesses compared to overseas, then much more sophisticated research and reportage is required.