Asda chief executive Allan Leighton was "not surprised" by the positive comments from the Competition Commission. "The effect we have had on inflation is greater than anything the Chancellor has done," he told The Grocer. "I have always been fairly confident about pricing. After all, the Wal-Mart effect' is huge, and if we were not here, prices would not have come down to the extent of recent months. So you could say the overall picture could have been slightly different." Leighton also welcomed the Commission's agreement that there were high levels of satisfaction among consumers about supermarkets. However, he rejected criticism about the stores' relationships with suppliers. "It should be remembered that 80% of our business is done with the multinationals where the clout compatibility is about the same. So there can't be a problem there." He went on: "What is more important is the supermarkets' relationships with smaller suppliers. This is an issue we have always taken very seriously. "Small suppliers have been the lifeblood of our business. I like them. After all, they come up with the best ideas, so we couldn't do without them." Leighton predicts the Competition Commission's monopoly inquiries will switch from the national to the local stage. "There will be some criticism about local monopolies, but I'm not sure anyone can do anything about it. "But if, for example, Tesco and Sainsbury enjoy a 56% market share in the south east and their prices were found to be higher there, then this might be an issue for the Commission." {{COVER FEATURE }}

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