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Supermarket Regulator

I am grateful to you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to discuss the need to introduce a supermarket regulator. I am delighted to see my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon, North (Malcolm Wicks) on the Front Bench tonight. British food retailing has world-class status, and in the past decade it has become innovative, dynamic and diverse. However, supermarkets have been allowed to expand to such an extent that they are now damaging competition and consumer choice. The campaign to highlight this trend has been ongoing for some time, as we have witnessed the devastating effects of the parallel and aggressive expansion of the four supermarket chains: Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons. Of these four, one towers above the others. When Tesco moved into the convenience store sector, record closure rates were reported for independent local shops. Last year, 2,000 small convenience stores closed because it was impossible for them to compete.