Last chance for suppliers to speak up on retailer practice

Supermarket suppliers have until 17 April to anonymously divulge their experiences of dealing with grocery retailers over the past year.

Suppliers can complete a YouGov survey to help the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), build a picture of how retailers are treating their supply chains.

The GCA, whose role it is to ensure the UK’s 10 biggest grocery retailers stick to fair practice, will use the information to work out which issues need attention and to assess how effective its work has been over the past 12 months.

The adjudicator has a legal duty to ensure the anonymity of any suppliers offering information.

See also: Your guide to the groceries code and adjudicator

The 2017 Groceries Code Adjudicator Survey is open until 17 April with the results to be presented at the GCA conference on 26 June in London.

Last year, 62% of the 1,000 suppliers who responded said they had experienced issues dealing with retailers in the year before the survey, compared with 70% in 2015 and 79% in 2014.

See also: Tesco to pay £129m penalty for profit overstatement

The sitting adjudicator Christine Tacon, said she was working on several key issues including late payments, which was the main issue raised in last year’s survey.

She urged suppliers to come forward so she could get problems solved. Ms Tacon has also been meeting suppliers face-to-face throughout March and April to hear any issues in person.

Last year the GCA concluded its only investigation so far, into Tesco’s late payments to suppliers. It found Tesco was guilty of widespread payment delays to its suppliers.