Asda treats its suppliers worse than any other Big Four supermarket, according to the Grocery Code Adjudicator.
For the second year running the Leeds-based retailer recorded the worst score among Britain’s four biggest supermarkets, with eight per cent of suppliers saying they felt Asda “rarely” or “never” complied with the grocery watchdog’s rules.
This was a slight improvement on 2017 when 11 per cent said the retailer was “rarely” in line with the code.
Out of all 10 retailers assessed in the YouGov survey for the GCA, Iceland came bottom and the Co-op was ranked second last.
Christine Tacon, the GCA adjudicator, noted that all retailers regulated by the code had “significantly improved” their compliance compared to previous years.
She said: “My 2018 survey tells a very positive story and it is no coincidence that the four most-improved retailers this year have each faced increased GCA scrutiny and heightened levels of GCA engagement through investigations and case studies.”
Tesco was the standout performer among the Big Four, with 97 per cent of suppliers saying the UK’s largest supermarket complied “mostly” or “consistently well”.
But for the fifth year running Aldi had the best performance overall and was the only grocer that had more than half of its suppliers (58 per cent) say that it 'consistently' followed the code.
Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi, said: “The cornerstone of our success in the UK has been the long-term partnerships forged with suppliers, so it’s is an honour for us to top the GCA’s annual survey for the fifth year in a row.
“Since opening our first UK store more than 25 years ago, we have engaged in honest dialogue with suppliers to give them clarity and stability in their dealings with us.
“This builds long-term relationships and allows us to provide great products to customers and a fair deal to suppliers.”
Last year Sainsbury’s performed better than any other Big Four retailer, but this year it fell in the rankings, with five per cent of suppliers saying it “rarely” complied with the code.
Despite this, Tacon said she hoped to lift Asda up to Sainsbury’s standards if the retailers’ £15 billion merger gets the green light.
