Vodafone has refused to back down in its stand-off with independents who rebelled against a move to cut the rate of commission by a single percentage point.

Led by Spar, retailers organised three boycotts by refusing to sell its top-ups. But the protests failed to stop Vodafone reducing its commission yesterday from 6.5% to 5.5%.

Kevin Hunt, MD of c-store chain Lawrence Hunt & Co, who organised the revolt, this week ruled out further organised action. But retailers acting alone may decide to impose their own surcharges of up to 10p.

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