Exclusive Clive Beddall The first draft of the proposed legally binding trading code between the multiples and their suppliers landed on the desks of the top five chains on Tuesday ­ prompting predictions that it would stir a "frank and tough" debate between the industry and the OFT. Although the big retailers were still studying the document on Thursday, unofficial initial verdicts ranged from "it's bureaucratic and draconian" to "no real surprises". The Office of Fair Trading wants comments and reaction by the second week in November ­ ensuring the project stays on the fast track, three months agenda demanded by DTI minister Stephen Byers when he unveiled the Competition Commission report on supermarket profitability. As exclusively predicted in our last issue, the OFT has drawn up a code from scratch, dashing industry hopes that a version agreed by the major multiples within the past few months would form the blueprint for the legally binding document. However, it is keen to hear the top five's views on the first draft. It is understood that the chains will meet, under the auspices of the IGD, next week, and discussions with suppliers are likely to be held soon afterwards. Meanwhile, there has been no official reaction to pleas for the code to be applied to all multiples. At this stage, Byers wants the OFT to come up with a code which would apply to Asda, Safeway, Sainsbury, Somerfield and Tesco. Some suppliers, on the other hand, have argued that all the 24 store groups originally investigated should be bound by a code. Meanwhile, the code issue is certain to be high on the agenda when agriculture minister Nick Brown meets senior food chain executives next month. And there was speculation this week that Brown will try to persuade Byers to widen the brief of his new legally binding code to include all chains with 10 or more stores. {{NEWS }}