Groceries Code Adjudicator Mark White has been proving his mettle this festive season.

In December The Grocer exclusively revealed the GCA’s “unprecedented” High Court intervention in a case involving Aldi and its veteran ex-sprouts supplier, W Clappison Ltd (WCL).

The Yorkshire farm is suing Aldi for breach of GSCOP rules by pulling the rug on its £3.7mb contract, after it had laid last year’s crop, which effectively forced it out of business, it claims.

Aldi vehemently denies the claims but the involvement of the adjudicator could break new ground, and the outcome will be eagerly watched by suppliers and retailers alike, amid wider farmer furore over the veg price wars this Christmas, which saw Aldi and rivals almost giving the produce away  (pxx).

Meanwhile, as White launched the GSCOP 2025 annual survey, his thoughts have turned to an even bigger adversary: Amazon. White is carefully considering the legal implications of a possible investigation, following the online giant’s dismal showing for a second year running in last year’s survey, which found that less than half of Amazon’s suppliers believed it sticks to the GSCOP rules.

The Adjudicator is running out of patience with Amazon. But care is needed, he says, to weigh up the cost and resources required for an investigation, compared to the effectiveness of more informal action to improve the way it deals with suppliers.

“I have to consider the strategic risks and benefits of an investigation and that includes comparing the resources required against more informal moves,” he told The Grocer this week. “There is quite a big difference. An investigation can take a very long time, so suppliers might not see any benefit for a considerable period of time, whereas if the changes [that are needed] are made suppliers should see the benefits much more quickly.”

A massively high-profile investigation against one of the world biggest companies, one which it would fight tooth and nail given a potential fine of 1% of Amazon’s turnover is at stake, would provide the GCA with arguably its biggest test yet, even though Amazon, ironically, is a fairly small player in grocery.

Amazon insists it is making big efforts to improve its treatment of suppliers, including the relaunch of its supplier dashboard last month and looser rules in terms of proof of delivery , which lies at the heart of its fallout with companies.

So White will surely keep his powder dry awaiting the results of the new survey. But a huge amount of money is on the line. So it will be fascinating to see what evidence emerges, set against the backdrop of inflation-linked negotiations across the trade that will test relations between suppliers and retailers to the full. 

The message to suppliers is clear: fill the survey in!

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