Source: The Shout
By James Atkinson
15/08/2012
The
Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA), representing Coles and
Woolworths, has rejected a report by independent grocers and liquor retailers
calling for regulators to take action against the continued expansion of the
chains.
The Let's
Have Fair Competition report released this week by the Master Grocers
Australia/Liquor Retailers Australia (MGA) argues that unless the regulatory
authorities take action against the national retailers, "Australians will suffer
dire consequences".
"There
will be no competition, prices will escalate and freedom of choice will be a
thing of the past," it says.
But ANRA
CEO Margy Osmond said the MGA represents the IGA group of retailers and far from
'fair competition', what they recommend will tilt the playing field in their
favour, at the expense of consumers.
"It is
time that IGA came out from behind this myth they are a small business - they
have a substantial slice of the grocery and liquor market in Australia," she
said.
"Aldi, a
foreign owned entrant to the market, has grown from zero to 300 stores in less
than a decade, a clear indication of the demand and the level of
competition."
Osmond
argued that MGA's call for more regulation would jeopardise the employment more
than 300,000 Australians.
"The
Australian supermarkets are leading the charge to bring the lowest possible
prices to consumers, while still supporting local growers and manufacturers,"
she claimed.
But Jos de
Bruin, CEO of MGA/LRA said the smaller independents are not getting a 'fair
go'.
"It's time
to take action against this powerful Goliath that is growing stronger every day.
If the regulators sit back and do nothing to foster fair competition in the
grocery and liquor retail industry, then the Australian consumer will literally
pay the price in the long term," he said.
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