Consumer Protection

In a world of ever-increasing scrutiny of corporate compliance with consumer protection obligations, backed up by enhanced financial penalties, KPMG Law supports clients in doing the right thing, generating value from compliance, being prepared for when things may go wrong, and supporting them when they do. We help our clients to understand the legal and regulatory frameworks that govern how businesses sell to, and interact with, consumers. We also support across the broader supply chain – recognising the practical complexities in identifying where responsibility, and potential liability, for compliance sits.

Lisa Navarro

Head of Regulatory Law, KPMG Law

KPMG in the UK

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Areas of focus for compliance and enforcement

Unfair Commercial Practices

Consumers are protected against conduct by businesses that might unfairly impact on their transactional decisions – whether through misleading action or omissions, an aggressive practice, or a breach of requirements of professional diligence. 32 types of commercial practices are expressly prohibited, including: submitting, commissioning or publishing fake reviews; adopting practices that give consumers a false sense of urgency around purchasing decisions; and engaging in bait and switch advertising.

Our services

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Operational compliance

We support businesses in understanding the impact of consumer protection rules on day-to-day operations, business decisions, growth strategies, and relationship management. This includes assisting clients in understanding the parameters of legitimate consumer facing marketing and pricing practices; advising on the processes that should be implemented to support the making of green claims and advising on the management of compliance responsibilities across the supply chain.

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Policies, risks and controls

We assist businesses undertaking risk assessments to understand the current status of their compliance frameworks vis-à-vis their legal and regulatory obligations. Working closely with advisory colleagues, we support with gap assessment reviews and the identification of enhancements to policies, procedures and controls, as well as the overarching design and implementation of compliance programmes.

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Regulatory investigations

We support clients that are facing regulatory investigations by the CMA, Trading Standards, ASA and other regulators in relation to breaches of consumer protection law. We can assist with dawn raids and responding to initial requests for information, through to developing defence strategies and investigation tactics, taking account of the need to minimise business disruption, preserve confidentiality and achieve a favourable outcome, as well as supporting you through the process. This includes negotiating settlement of investigations through the imposition of commitments and providing ongoing monitoring of compliance.