Yet another leak has suggested that the All Party Small Shops Group will call for the establishment of an independent retail regulator in a report due to be published on Wednesday (15 February).


According to a report in the Sunday Telegraph, the group of 80 MPs will recommend that a new regulatory body, with more sweeping powers than the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), be created.


The UK press has eagerly anticipated the report, the culmination of a seven-month long investigation. It will be particularly significant as the report will be delivered shortly before the OFT decides whether to refer the entire supermarket sector to the Competition Commission for a full-scale investigation.