Independents take on the multiple muscle

A LEVEL playing field, transparency and market share planning checks are top of the shopping list for independent retailers as they battle the might of the multiples.
Dudley Ramsden has made sure Austin Mitchell is well aware of the situation facing businesses like his when the Grimsby MP joined him down the aisles as part of a campaign by the Association of Convenience Stores.
There is no doubting the might the likes of Tesco and the other big supermakets have, and the clout it affords them. And this is why it is vital that protection and parity should be offered to all those who try to compete.
Not only is there a need to protect livelihoods and indentity, but also choice and freedom.
The likes of Ramsdens should at the very least know what they are competing against when they buy in produce, and at best be offered prices the major multiples can get because of the bulk purchasing power they have.
And should one supermarket be allowed to corner one town's market is another worthy question posed. The two Tesco Extras in North East Lincolnshire technically sit in different towns, but the take of the pound must be far greater than the one in eight figure given for the nation.
A two year inquiry has just been launched to assess the power of the big four - why it will take that long no-one is sure - but to preserve choice some limitations are needed, and quick.