In its second formal hearing with the Competition Commission (CC), the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has put forward a case to bring fairness into the grocery market.

At last week's meeting delegates, including members of the Federation of Wholesale Distributors, discussed a need for a more accurate definition of the grocery market, due to the powerful position of the supermarket. The CC's next announcement in September is expected to play a critical part in the future of the grocery market.

“We pressed the commission to do more to analyse the distortions caused by the supermarkets' buyer power on growth and competitiveness in the wider grocery market,” said James Lowman, chief executive of the ACS. “The CC is now in no doubt that we strongly reject any view that competition in the grocery market is solely about choice between large format supermarkets.”

Topics