Archived press release

Friends of the Earth welcomes small shops report

15 February 2006

Friends of the Earth warmly welcomed today's "High Street UK 2015" report from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Small Shops, and urged the Government to follow the Group's recommendations.

Friends of the Earth's Supermarkets campaigner Sandra Bell said:

"The all party group of MPs has given clear backing to our calls for urgent action to rein in the biggest supermarkets. The Government and the Office of Fair Trading appear increasingly isolated in their view that market dominance is good for consumers. This report goes a long way towards finding solutions to protect the many small shops which offer genuine choice, good value, a personal service and a lifeline for local communities. They must now be taken forward by the competition authorities as part of an urgent investigation into the grocery market"

The MPs made several recommendations which back calls made by Friends of the Earth including:

An independent retail regulator
A moratorium on any further mergers and takeovers
A stronger code of practice to protect supermarkets suppliers
Greater powers for local communities in planning and more explicit protection for diversity and vitality of local retailing
Revise the "two market" ruling which has allowed big supermarkets to take over convenience store chains with no investigation
Companies to be made accountable for their damage to the environment

Friends of the Earth is part of the Tescopoly alliance which today launched a new resource to help local campaigners around the country who are fighting new supermarket developments:

Local Campaigners Unite to Fight Tescopoly

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Small Shops will launch its report High Street UK 2015 on Wednesday 15th February in the Boothroyd Room in Portcullis House (this is a room change).

For further information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust

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Archived press release

Friends of the Earth welcomes small shops report

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