ACS

The Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) has published an order that requires the Competition Commission to reconsider its recommendation for a planning competition test. This follows a legal challenge launched by Tesco against the recommendation made in the Grocery Market Inquiry final report in May 2008.

The Commission have been given six months to come forward with a revised recommendation if it chooses to do so.

ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “We support the planning competition test and we welcome the fact that the Commission can now correct the technical mistakes with their original recommendation.

“However we share consumer frustrations that since the Grocery Market Inquiry concluded in May 2008, progress towards delivering a fairer grocery market has been glacial. Today’s’ decision pushes the issue on but does nothing to speed the process up. The CC could take up to six months to revise its decision and if it maintains its recommendation for a competition test then we would still have to await a lengthy Government process to decide whether to implement the recommendation.

“Real action to protect consumers remains a long way off. We are calling on politicians to step in and act for consumers where the competition institutions are failing to make a difference.”