Given the highly competitive state of the grocery market, none of us expected to hear any major revelations from those involved in the Safeway auction when they gathered in London for this week's Competition Commission public hearing into the whole affair. And we were not disappointed unlike those who had crowded into Haberdashers' Hall in the hope of seeing some fireworks. Sadly for them, the hearing did not descend into acrimonious farce either.
I am still not convinced these hearings achieve very much aside from useful publicity for the workings of the Commission.
But, if nothing else, at least this week's setpiece in the City provided a vital platform for those retailers who oppose the idea of Safeway being bought to explain why they think further consolidation will have an impact on the independent sector and why that will restrict consumer choice.
All too often their voices are either not heard, ignored or dismissed in the corridors of power. So let's hope Sir Derek Morris and his team were listening.
But whatever food for thought they were given at the hearing, it is clear the commissioners had already decided that the scope of their inquiry needed to be widened.
Indeed, even as these commissioners posed for photographers in London, a detailed questionnaire from them was landing on the desks of 20 chains around the country, despite the fact they were not involved in the Safeway bidding war. They must have been thrilled.
Now, Sir Derek argues that the industry has been through major change in the three years since the Commission's last probe into the supermarket sector, not least the rapid moves by the bigger chains into non-food areas and, more recently, convenience.
But a couple of things clearly have not changed in that time: supermarketing is still an intensely competitive industry and four into three still does not make sense for the consumer, suppliers or the rest of the food retail industry.
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I am still not convinced these hearings achieve very much aside from useful publicity for the workings of the Commission.
But, if nothing else, at least this week's setpiece in the City provided a vital platform for those retailers who oppose the idea of Safeway being bought to explain why they think further consolidation will have an impact on the independent sector and why that will restrict consumer choice.
All too often their voices are either not heard, ignored or dismissed in the corridors of power. So let's hope Sir Derek Morris and his team were listening.
But whatever food for thought they were given at the hearing, it is clear the commissioners had already decided that the scope of their inquiry needed to be widened.
Indeed, even as these commissioners posed for photographers in London, a detailed questionnaire from them was landing on the desks of 20 chains around the country, despite the fact they were not involved in the Safeway bidding war. They must have been thrilled.
Now, Sir Derek argues that the industry has been through major change in the three years since the Commission's last probe into the supermarket sector, not least the rapid moves by the bigger chains into non-food areas and, more recently, convenience.
But a couple of things clearly have not changed in that time: supermarketing is still an intensely competitive industry and four into three still does not make sense for the consumer, suppliers or the rest of the food retail industry.
{{COMMENT & LETTERS }}
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