CMA fines Wayfair, Appliances Direct and Gold's Gym £6m for misleading sales tactics

Jurisdiction

United Kingdom (GB)

Event date

14 October 2026 (decision date · day precision)

Announced

14 October 2026 (announcement date · day precision)

Source published

14 October 2026 (publication date · day precision)

Procedural posture

Decided; appeal status unknown (last checked 15 October 2026)

Source role

Official / primary

Amounts

approximately GBP 6,000,000 (aggregate fines as reported) — CMA fines imposed on Wayfair, Appliances Direct and Gold's Gym
GBP 4,800,000 (administrative fine) — Wayfair penalty
GBP 1,200,000 (administrative fine) — Appliances Direct penalty
GBP 45,000 (administrative fine) — Gold's Gym (UK) Limited penalty
approximately GBP 432,000 (distribution to claimants) — refunds ordered from Appliances Direct to affected customers
GBP 9,220 (distribution to claimants) — refunds ordered from Gold's Gym to 726 affected customers
approximately GBP 440,000 (distribution to claimants) — total customer refunds in the announcement (introductory summary)

Case record

CMA fines Wayfair, Appliances Direct and Gold's Gym £6m for misleading sales tactics

First published

2026-10-15 · version 1 · updated 2026-10-15

What happened

The Competition and Markets Authority announced on 14 October 2026 that it had fined three businesses a total of £6 million for misleading sales tactics, using its consumer protection enforcement powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act). Wayfair was fined £4.8 million for time-limited offers that the CMA found did not end when stated. Appliances Direct was fined £1.2 million and ordered to refund customers around £432,000, both for time-limited offers and for automatically opting customers into paid-for extras; Gold's Gym was fined £45,000 and ordered to refund £9,220 to 726 affected customers over a mandatory joining fee not clearly included in the total price. The CMA said all three parties admitted breaking the law and settled early, receiving a 40% reduction in their fines.

Why it matters

The announcement is an operational use of the CMA's strengthened consumer enforcement powers: it shows administrative fines and consumer redress being secured in the same decision, with refunds of around £440,000 in total. The CMA states it has imposed more than £12 million in fines and secured nearly £2.4 million in refunds over the last 18 months, and that a business can be fined up to 10% of global turnover (or £300,000 where higher). For practitioners, it illustrates how pre-ticked opt-ins and false time-limited offers are treated under the DMCC Act 2024 and related 2013 regulations.

What remains unresolved

The announcement does not state whether any party will appeal, and does not characterise the decisions as final. The announcement describes fines and refund orders but not the underlying case files or penalty notices. The CMA's stated aggregate figures (£12 million in fines, nearly £2.4 million in refunds over 18 months) are as reported by the CMA and are not broken down here.

Sources

• CMA fines firms £6 million for misleading sales tactics - GOV.UK
  United Kingdom · Official / primary · AuthorityPressRelease · published 14 October 2026 · en · checked 15 October 2026Cited at: Press release headline and opening paragraph: "CMA fines firms £6 million for misleading sales tactics" / "The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has fined 3 businesses £6 million"; Press release, Wayfair section: "Wayfair must pay a penalty of £4.8 million."; Press release, Appliances Direct section: "The CMA has fined Appliances Direct £1.2 million and ordered it to pay around £432,000 in refunds to customers affected by opt-ins"; Press release, Gold's Gym section: "The CMA has ordered Gold's Gym to refund a total of £9,220 to the 726 affected customers... Gold's Gym has been fined £45,000."; Press release, opening narrative: "Having admitted to breaking the law and agreeing to settle the case early with the CMA... all 3 businesses received a 40% reduction in their fine."; Press release, 'Wayfair: time-limited offers': "the CMA's investigation found that many products remained available at the same price or lower after the stated deadline – so the time-limited offer was false."; Press release, 'Appliances Direct: time-limited offers and pre-ticked checkboxes'; Press release, 'Gold's Gym: mandatory joining fee'; Press release, 'Notes to editors': "The CMA used its powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act) to impose these penalties and to secure redress from Appliances Direct and Gold's Gym."; Press release, 'Notes to editors': "If a business infringes consumer protection law, the CMA can fine it up to 10% of its global turnover (or £300,000 where this is higher than the 10% figure)."; Press release, second paragraph: "In the last 18 months, the CMA has imposed fines of more than £12 million and secured nearly £2.4 million in refunds for customers using its new consumer protection enforcement powers."; Press release, 'Notes to editors': "The CMA collects payments on behalf of HM Treasury relating to penalties imposed by the CMA. All payments collected are transferred to HMT's Consolidated Fund."

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