The Competition Commission is set to grill the big four supermarket groups next month as part of its inquiry into the grocery market.
A spokesman for the Commission said that it was still on track to hit its December target for notifying the public as to its emerging thinking, despite running over on the hearings with main and third parties, which was due to be concluded by the end of this month.
The Association of Convenience Stores is due to meet the inquiry team on September 26, while a hearing with a senior delegation from the Federation of Wholesale Distributors took place earlier this month.
The FWD party was made up of director general John Murphy, Peter Blakemore, Rodney Hunt, Steve Parfett, Younus Sheikh and Charles Wilson.
Murphy said that the two-hour meeting was a success from the FWD's point of view and that it got a good opportunity to air its concerns over the buying power of the multiples.
He explained: "I think we put over a strong case. The Commission asked some intelligent questions and I hope we were able to offer intelligent answers."
Murphy also revealed that wholesalers were happy to open their books for the Commission and that it had visited a Bestway depot in London's Park Royal and a Londis distribution centre in Andover.
ACS public affairs director James Lowman said: "We believe we have a compelling argument regarding the imbalance in competition and are looking forward to this opportunity to put it across."
A spokesman for the Commission said that it was still on track to hit its December target for notifying the public as to its emerging thinking, despite running over on the hearings with main and third parties, which was due to be concluded by the end of this month.
The Association of Convenience Stores is due to meet the inquiry team on September 26, while a hearing with a senior delegation from the Federation of Wholesale Distributors took place earlier this month.
The FWD party was made up of director general John Murphy, Peter Blakemore, Rodney Hunt, Steve Parfett, Younus Sheikh and Charles Wilson.
Murphy said that the two-hour meeting was a success from the FWD's point of view and that it got a good opportunity to air its concerns over the buying power of the multiples.
He explained: "I think we put over a strong case. The Commission asked some intelligent questions and I hope we were able to offer intelligent answers."
Murphy also revealed that wholesalers were happy to open their books for the Commission and that it had visited a Bestway depot in London's Park Royal and a Londis distribution centre in Andover.
ACS public affairs director James Lowman said: "We believe we have a compelling argument regarding the imbalance in competition and are looking forward to this opportunity to put it across."
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