Wed, 05 Mar 2025

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 Co-op admits unlawfully blocking rival store openings

The grocer admits breaching an order aimed at giving shoppers choice and access to the cheapest prices.

* The Co-op has admitted breaching rules to prevent rival supermarkets from opening nearby more than 100 times.
* The company breached an order that limits supermarkets' ability to block land being used by rival retailers in England, Scotland, and Wales.
* Blocking other grocers from opening nearby hits competition between supermarkets and means shoppers have less choice when trying to get cheaper prices.
* The Co-op admitted 107 breaches of the Groceries Market Investigation (Controlled Land) Order 2010 and has re-written 104 agreements and agreed to resolve three others.
* The company's spokesperson said it takes the issue "very seriously" and will take action to prevent it from happening again.
* The breaches were found at locations across the UK, with many of them in rural areas where shoppers have limited choice.
* Campaigners argue that having multiple retailers is essential for consumers to get the best deals, particularly in areas where prices are already high.
* The Co-op's market share in the UK is 5.2% and it owns almost 2,400 stores across the country.
* Other supermarkets, including Morrison's, have also breached the land order in recent years, but not to the extent that the Co-op was found to have done.
* The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it is "concerned by the very large number of breaches" and that restrictive agreements by leading retailers can affect competition between supermarkets.
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