§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how the(a) Office of Fair Trading and (b) her Department will assess acquisition strategies in the convenience sector of the grocery market. [154261]
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§ Mr. SutcliffeThe competition authorities consider each acquisition on a case-by-case basis against the provisions of the Enterprise Act, if it reaches the qualifying thresholds for consideration. The Department of Trade and Industry has no role in this consideration.
§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what assessment she has made of the impact on the consumer of dominance by large chains of the mainstream grocery market; [154262]
(2) what plans she has to increase (a) fair competition for retailers and (b) choice for consumers in the convenience sector of the grocery market. [154263]
§ Mr. SutcliffeThere have been several reports by the Competition Commission over the past few years on the supermarket sector. The Competition Commission's report "Supermarkets: a report on the supply of groceries from multiple stores in the United Kingdom", published on 10 October 2000, found that the market was broadly competitive as far as consumers were concerned.
It is the role of the independent competition authorities to assess the impact of dominance by large chains in the grocery market, and whether or not such dominance may be against the public interest. It is also the responsibility of the competition authorities to ensure that competition rules are not infringed and to investigate any alleged breaches.