Local village stores have accused Tesco of employing tactics like limiting their access to groceries to force them out of business via its wholesale division, Booker.
Independent retailers have aired their grievances to The Guardian, highlighting recent changes implemented by Booker have exacerbated existing challenges, particularly in villages where access to small shops is limited or nonexistent.
They said Booker has slashed the range of items available by up to 30% at some locations, cut down on the availability and reliability of deliveries and removed shoppers favourites at some sites, such as Yorkshire Tea and Rowntree’s sweets.
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Jonathan Cobb, who runs the village shop and post office in Gloucestershire, told the Guardian his local Booker has stopped selling popular brands including Colman’s mustard and Cheddars biscuits.
He said as much as 30% of the range he previously purchased from Booker could no longer be sourced, and it felt like Tesco was “slowly pushing us aside”.
British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) chief executive Andrew Goodacre has now called on the UK competition watchdog to examine the issue and told the Guardian he would be raising the matter with the minister for small business, Kevin Hollinrake.
Goodacre called the problems reported by small retailers shocking.
“This shows the worst of a large company bullying little shops. Communities want these small shops and these are not businesses making millions of pounds.”
Through Booker, the grocery giant also controls the Londis, Budgens, and Premier groups.
When Tesco acquired Booker in 2017, rival wholesalers cautioned the Competition and Markets Authority, expressing concerns that it would grant Tesco “incontestable power over the procurement of all grocery categories in the UK”.
Retail Gazette has contacted Tesco for comment.
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