MINNEAPOLIS — Nash Finch Co. here said it has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by customers of its Avanza format in Denver who claimed that the banner’s pricing message was deceptive.
As previously reported, Avanza’s “Shelf Plus 10” pricing policy, which added 10% to shoppers’ total bill at the cash register, was discontinued last year after customers complained.
Nash Finch said it has agreed to pay each of six plaintiffs in the case $700, for a total of $4,200.
“We remain committed to providing our shoppers the best overall value for their shopping dollar at Avanza and apologize if any of our customers did not understand the Shelf Plus 10 program, which we discontinued in 2009,” said Alec C. Covington, president and chief executive officer, Nash Finch, in a prepared statement. “We believe the signage we used in the stores clearly explained how that pricing program worked, but decided to agree to the Court’s entry of judgment in the amount of $4,200 rather than incur the cost of a trial. We have tried to settle this case in the past, but the fee demands of the plaintiffs’ lawyers made that impossible.”