Supermarkets face huge penalties over wholesale rules

Supermarkets face huge penalties over wholesale rules

Supermarkets face huge penalties if they are found guilty of failing to open up their grocery wholesale arms to competitors under proposed new regulations. The NZ Herald reports the penalties range from $500,000 for an individual to $10 million for a company in the...
HSR uptake climbs to 5900

HSR uptake climbs to 5900

HSR uptake climbs to 5900 September 8 2022 FGC member companies are continuing to bring more food products into the Health Star Rating system. At the end of December, they had 3363 products with HSR labels on them – an increase of 316 on December 2021. The...
Raewyn Bleakley starts at FGC

Raewyn Bleakley starts at FGC

Raewyn Bleakley has now assumed her role as the new Chief Executive of FGC. She has replaced Katherine Rich who is stepping down after 13½ years. Raewyn is an experienced and successful senior leader who has worked across and within government for more than 20 years,...
Katherine Rich to step down from FGC

Katherine Rich to step down from FGC

The NZ Food & Grocery Council Chief Executive Chief Executive Katherine Rich is stepping down from the role after 13½ years. She says it’s time to pass the baton to someone else, and to move onto new, as yet unknown, ventures. The search for a successor is being...
Supermarkets could face $10m fines for Code breaches

Supermarkets could face $10m fines for Code breaches

Countdown and Foodstuffs could face fines of up to $10 million or three times any commercial gain they received if they breached the proposed new supermarket Code of Conduct – whichever was higher – according to a newly released Cabinet paper. It shows Ministers...
Grocery stalwart Peter Mitchell dies

Grocery stalwart Peter Mitchell dies

New Zealand grocery industry stalwart and icon Peter Mitchell, the only two-time recipient of FGC’s Lifetime Achiever Award, has died. Peter was the owner of Review Publishing, whose stable of publications included the highly regarded Supermarket News, which has been...
Legislation to block land covenants passes first reading

Legislation to block land covenants passes first reading

Legislation to stop major supermarkets blocking competitors from accessing land for new stores is now being considered by a parliamentary select committee. It was introduced into Parliament under urgency on Budget night by Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David...
Legislation to block land covenants passes first reading

Consumer NZ wants Minister to go further

Consumer NZ has launched a petition calling on Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark to go beyond the Commerce Commission’s recommendations in its report on the grocery sector, in order to bring about stronger competition. The Commission found...
Select committee agrees on Code of Conduct

Select committee agrees on Code of Conduct

A parliamentary select committee has agreed a Code of Conduct would help address issues of competition, uncompetitive behaviour, and lack of choice across the grocery sector. After considering a petition by FGC Chief Executive Katherine Rich, it has suggested the...
Select committee agrees on Code of Conduct

So will the Govt break up the duopoly?

The likelihood or otherwise of the Government breaking up the supermarket duopoly is the subject of two fascinating pieces of analysis. In the most recent, Stuff business writer Tom Pullar-Strecker concludes the Government isn’t going to overrule the Commerce...
Select committee agrees on Code of Conduct

Govt may break up duopoly, next steps in May

Commerce Minister David Clark has given his strongest indication yet the Government could be about to break up New Zealand’s supermarket duopoly. Next steps will be announced in late May. In an interview on NewstalkZB about the 7.6% rise in food prices in the year to...