Washington, D.C. – The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, issued the following statement tonight:
“The unsealed Federal Trade Commission complaint alleging preferential pricing and promotional treatment for Walmart highlights longstanding concerns among independent community grocers about anticompetitive practices in the marketplace.
When massive national chain retailers receive discounts, allowances, or services that are not offered to competitors on equitable terms, it places Main Street businesses at a structural disadvantage. The Robinson-Patman Act was designed to promote fair competition by preventing price discrimination that harms smaller retailers, and it is a vital tool that has been recognized on a bipartisan basis by FTC commissioners to protect competition and fair markets.
Independent grocers are not asking for special treatment, only a level playing field, which ultimately supports local jobs, strengthens competition, and ensures consumers continue to have choice and value at the grocery store. NGA calls on the FTC to enforce the Robinson-Patman Act against the power buyers who violate the law by undercutting the competition by forcing their competitors and American consumers to pay higher prices for groceries.”
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