The UK’s big four supermarkets should be subject to a limit of 8% market share and should be forced to divest interests above that level, according to a ‘think-tank’ said to be close to the government.
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In a report called ‘Clone Town Britain,’ published today (Monday) the New Economic Foundation said that planning laws should be used to promote opportunity for locally-owned stores. The negotiation between developers and planners over granting planning permissions – usually about low-cost housing – could be extended to make retail developers guarantee affordable premises for locally-owned stores, it said.
There should be a moratorium on further takeovers of existing chains either by Tesco, or any of the other three largest multiple retailers in either the supermarket or convenience store sector.
Complaints to the Office of Fair Trading should be confidential. “Supermarkets have a monopolistic stranglehold over suppliers, but the Office of Fair Trading rarely receives complaints – because suppliers fear retaliation,” the group said. “An independent and confidential watchdog, to allow suppliers to complain in confidence is long overdue.”
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