§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the share of the grocery trade now commanded by the large multiples; and how this compares with the position 10 years ago.
§ Mr. FletcherTable 10 of the Director General's report gives figures, by region, of the market shares of the multiples for packaged groceries for the years 1980 and 1984; and these are discussed in paragraphs 2.11 to 2.18 of the report. Figures for the years 1974–1980 are contained in Table 11 of Appendix 1 to the MMC report on discounts to retailers. Comparisons between the two sets of figures need to take into account the fact that the MMC figures cover groceries sold through grocers, while the OFT figures cover in addition sales through non-grocery outlets.