Groceries Code Adjudicator Mark White has called on suppliers to come forward if they have code-related issues with Amazon, after his stewardship of the online giant kicked off this week.
Last month the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) decided to designate Amazon under GSCOP after it breached the £1bn in grocery turnover required.
The move is predicted to have huge consequences for Amazon’s buying policies in areas such as forecasting and delisting, which many industry experts say have previously been conducted in ways that would breach GSCOP.
As of yesterday (1 March), Amazon has become the 14th retailer to be bound by the code, which seeks to ensure suppliers are treated fairly and lawfully.
White said he would be working with Amazon’s code compliance officer (CCO) Alex Simpson to help the organisation transition to complying with the code.
But he told suppliers information they provided about potential breaches could “helps inform the GCA’s engagement”.
“Now that Amazon is covered by the code, I am looking forward to working with Amazon to ensure they are code-compliant,” said White.
“As the groceries industry faces a range of challenges, my message to Amazon groceries’ suppliers is to get in touch if you have any code-related issues. Your feedback is vital for informing my discussions with Amazon.”
“All information received is dealt with on a confidential basis and the GCA has a legal duty to preserve anonymity.”
White’s call comes after this year’s annual survey of suppliers’ views of retailer code compliance was closed last week, with a report due in the spring.
Amazon was added to the list of designated retailers too late to be included in the survey, and White will only be allowed to intervene on issues relating to its behaviour as from this week.
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