Tesco is under pressure to reveal the full extent of its land holdings, with some estimates suggesting it holds up to 81 per cent of land owned but not developed by UK supermarkets.
Danny Alexander, a Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, is calling on the retailer to show its hand as the OFT considers referring the grocery retail sector to the Competition Commission, with a particular emphasis on planning issues.
Alexander said he would be writing to the Commission with his concerns: “Lack of information is a big issue. A bit more openness from all the supermarkets would help the public debate.”
According to the OFT, between all of the big four supermarkets, there were around 319 undeveloped sites.
Wal-Mart, the US-based parent company of UK retailer Asda, has already complained about Tesco’s strangle-hold on the market and has particular issues with the planning regulations.
A spokesman for Asda said: “In our view, the planning regime needs to be tightened - so that choice plays a role in whether planning consent is granted - the unintended consequence of the present system is that it limits customer choice - an issue for convenience store operators as well as superstore retailers.
“Just over half (54 per cent) of places in the UK only have a choice of two retailers, and around 1 in 7 (15 per cent) only have one. Under current rules there is nothing to stop a retailer building a new store in a town where it is already dominant.
“We believe to maintain effective competition and provide more customer choice, local authorities need to be given the power to take competition and choice into account when considering planning.”
