All 14 retailers covered by GSCOP have signed a new commitment to confidentiality, promising that suppliers will not face any negative impact from raising alleged breaches of the Code.
Speaking in his latest newsletter, Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) Mark White said: “It’s important that suppliers can speak honestly and frankly to the retailers when issues arise, so problems can be resolved as quickly as possible. Suppliers must be confident that they can do this without negative consequences for their business.
“I take this issue very seriously. Each of the Retailers has confirmed to me that they want to hear from suppliers and work collaboratively to resolve issues and strengthen relationships. To address supplier concerns, all 14 Retailers have committed to ‘ensuring that suppliers do not face negative consequences as a result of raising issues with the business directly or with the CCO (Code Compliance Officer)’.
“This builds on the CCOs’ commitments to treat any discussion held with a supplier in the strictest of confidence unless the supplier agrees they can share details within the retailer.
“I hope that no suppliers will face this problem, but if suppliers do believe that raising Code issues with a retailer has led to them facing negative consequences as a result, I want to hear from them.”
The move comes just weeks after it was revealed that the GCA had intensified talks with the UK’s leading supermarkets about supplier cost price increase requests (CPI) being delayed or leading to products being delisted.
The GCA launched its tenth annual survey last month that aims to establish how suppliers are being treated by grocery retailers.
The survey is regarded as one of the most important ways for suppliers to confidentially tell Mark White about their experiences dealing with grocery retailers. The survey, conducted by YouGov, covers a wide range of themes, and the responses are expected to help the GCA understand the ongoing impact of inflation and other issues affecting suppliers.
NAM Implications:
- To all suppliers:
- You should now have all the assurance you need…
- Over to you!
