§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has had on(a) profit margins of supermarkets and (b) references to the Office of Fair Trading of pricing policies by the supermarkets; and what studies his officials have made of these matters. [9463]
Mr. John M. TaylorI have received several representations concerning the profit margins and pricing policies of supermarkets, notably concerning bread, greengrocery products and turkeys.
The Office of Fair Trading keeps supermarket behaviour under review and has undertaken several inquiries into the pricing policies of large supermarkets, most recently in 1992. The director general has not concluded that action under the competition legislation was appropriate.