Friends of the Earth has told the Competition Commission the focus of its groceries inquiry is wrong - and has sent the commission 13,000 postcards from consumers to make its point.
The campaigners say the postcards highlight that, although the commission's Emerging Thinking and Working Papers have focused on providing choice between the multiple supermarkets, consumers also want access to a wide range of local shops.
The postcards, which were submitted to commission chairman Peter Freeman this week, show the outline of a large supermarket drawn onto a field on the outskirts of a village.
Three red crosses in the centre of the village represent the closure of local shops.
Under the heading 'My right to choose where to shop', the postcards state: "I want to have a real choice about where to shop, including a diverse range of local shops, not just a choice between big supermarkets."
In a reference to the government's planning White Paper, it adds: "Please don't back the government's proposals to make it easier for supermarkets to build more big out of town stores. This would be a disaster for town centres and high street shops."
The cards also call for fairer treatment of suppliers through a strict code of practice and the appointment of an independent watchdog to oversee the grocery industry.
Friends of the Earth said that, although it had distributed the postcards to members of the public and to local groups, each card represented the personal view of the individual that had sent it.
"People do not make the effort to fill postcards in unless they have a reasonably high level of concern about the issue," said Friends of the Earth supermarket campaigner Sandra Bell in a letter to Freeman.
"The high number of postcards is a strong indication of the importance of local shops to consumers."
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