Speaking recently in the House of Commons, our superb Member of Parliament, Sir John Hayes emphasised how welcome the news is that the Competition and Markets Authority have blocked the merger of Sainsbury’s and Asda supermarkets.
Quite rightly, the independent CMA concluded, following a detailed investigation that the merger would ‘raise prices at the supermarkets’ petrol stations and lead to longer checkout queues’. It would also have meant many Sainsburys and Asdas closing.
That is certainly true, but, if anything, an understatement of what yet another concentration of power would mean for high streets – as they become even more uniform, customers would get even less choice and farmers and the food industry would get even less fair terms of trade.
Of all the MPs in Parliament, no-one has seen this more clearly or acted more decisively than Sir John. Together with him, I successfully pressed for the establishment of a supermarket regulator to clamp down on the sharp practises of these corporate giants (John’s words, I think).
The result was that when he was a Government Minister in the Department of Business, working with Vince Cable, John successfully pressed for the introduction of the Groceries Code Adjudicator, who, along with other farmers, I met and briefed at my home.
That significant achievement has been followed by the excellent section of the Agriculture Bill which gives details of fresh powers to bear down on the unfair treatment of their suppliers by supermarkets.
Now the CMA, following the continuing hard work of our MP has stopped an amalgamation which would have placed enormous power in the hands of a huge business, disadvantaging those suppliers who sell to it and customers who buy from it.
I am pleased to have played a part in this and proud that we have a great Member of Parliament who listens, acts and achieves.
Barry Fisher
Moulton Chapel
