Pricing control is very common in retail. Usually it's done by the supplier controlling who sells the product, and setting pricing limits in their supply agreements and terms of trade. For example- doesn't matter how much shopping around you do, a Webber BBQ will be roughly the same price everywhere. Whenever electrical retailers have % off store wide sales, there will be an * that says "excludes Meile product". Notice how you can only buy National Luna fridges either direct, or from Opposite Lock ?, and Opposite Locks price is exactly the same as the suppliers' website ?
Quite often with the big retailers like Woolies, the price reductions in their weekly catalogues is funded by the supplier via advertising rebates, and it is often the supplier that is paying the retailer to have the products featured and promoted.