New Zealand watchdog says supermarket charges on suppliers harm competition
( July 7, 2026, 03:20 GMT | Official Statement) -- MLex Summary: New Zealand's Commerce Commission has closed its wholesale grocery supply inquiry after concluding that competition remains weak because the country's major supermarket chains receive about NZ$6 billion ($3.4 billion) a year in supplier rebates, discounts and other payments that are largely unavailable to rival retailers. Instead of recommending additional regulation, the regulator says it will prioritize compliance investigations and enforcement into whether those payments comply with the Grocery Industry Competition Act and Grocery Supply Code. The watchdog said it had identified more than 50 types of supplier payments and argued that simplifying the system and ensuring lawful pass-through of scale-related benefits could improve wholesale competition and ultimately deliver more choice and value for consumers.Statement follows. Report attached. ...
Prepare for tomorrow’s regulatory change, today
MLex identifies risk to business wherever it emerges, with specialist reporters across the globe providing exclusive news and deep-dive analysis on the proposals, probes, enforcement actions and rulings that matter to your organization and clients, now and in the longer term.
Know what others in the room don’t, with features including:
- Daily newsletters for Antitrust, M&A, Trade, Data Privacy & Security, Technology, AI and more
- Custom alerts on specific filters including geographies, industries, topics and companies to suit your practice needs
- Predictive analysis from expert journalists across North America, the UK and Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific
- Curated case files bringing together news, analysis and source documents in a single timeline
Experience MLex today with a 14-day free trial.