The NZ Food and Grocery Council will canvas the views of its supplier members over Foodstuffs’ proposal to merge its North Island and South Island companies.
Chief Executive Raewyn Bleakley says the merger has been a much talked-about prospect for many years now.
“We note it is for the Commerce Commission to assess robustly, and also that the Boards of both Foodstuffs North Island and Foodstuffs South Island are clear the merger ‘must deliver meaningful benefits for customers and all our stakeholders’, and that would be a positive outcome.
“The NZFGC Board will be discussing later this week how we approach this important issue. It will be important for us to carefully canvas members’ views and diligently assess the impacts on suppliers and the industry.
“While it is for the Commerce Commission to assess the application robustly, we will actively participate in the consultation process and ensure we are well supported with competition law advice.
“A number of practical issues and concerns have already been raised with me and I welcome members making contact to discuss in confidence over the next few weeks. There will also be more structured avenues provided for members to share their thoughts on the proposal with NZFGC in due course.”
Read the Foodstuffs release here
Read a NZ Herald report in which The Warehouse questions savings from merger
Read/listen to an RNZ report here