Customers will be the ultimate losers from an expensive and unnecessary supermarket Ombudsman, said the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Reacting to the Competition Commission’s announcement, today (Tuesday) that it is to hold a consultation on what form an Ombudsman should take, the BRC said it is time this damaging process was brought to an end.
Andrew Opie, British Retail Consortium Food Director, said: "This should be about customers. The last thing needed at any time, let alone in a recession, is a new multi-million pound bureaucracy - unnecessarily piling on costs and pushing up shop prices.
"Very few farmers deal directly with retailers. Most supermarket suppliers are multi-national food businesses perfectly able to stand up for themselves. Retailers are right to defend customers’ interests by negotiating robustly with them.
"We have seen no evidence to support claims that retailers are unfairly putting the squeeze on their suppliers. There is already a supplier code, overseen by the Office of Fair Trading, which has long been compulsory for the ’big four’ supermarkets. It is expected to be extended to more retailers.
"When Government ultimately considers the Commission’s recommendations it must see sense and bring this process to an end before customers are harmed."
