Shoppers warned over furniture 'discounts'

Shoppers should view furniture sales with a "healthy dose of cynicism", a consumer watchdog has warned.

A Which? report tracked 12,793 online prices for sofas and beds from eight major retailers over seven months and found some items constantly "on sale". Companies such as Dreams, Furniture Village and Harveys had products "on sale" for far longer than they were at their non-sale prices.

Which? said the guidelines on promotions needed to be tightened. A copy of the report has been sent to the Office of Fair Trading for further investigation.