Supermarket watchdog a step closer

"The Competition Commission has responded to the overwhelming evidence that supermarkets are riding roughshod over their suppliers. We welcome their proposal for an independent ombudsman to make supermarkets play fair, providing it has enough clout to do the job properly. Any regulator must  have a global reach, as supermarkets are global businesses that buy goods worth seven million pounds every day from developing countries.    

The Competition Commission must stand firm in the face of  what will be relentless pressure from the supermarkets as the inquiry enters its end game."

Today the Competition Commission released a working paper on possible measures it will take as a result of its inquiry into supermarket power. The Commission will report finally by 8th May 2008. None of the remedies proposed in the paper released today, including the independent ombudsman, are final until that point.