Arlington, VA – The National Grocers Association (NGA), the national trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, released the following statement from NGA President and CEO Peter Larkin regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Ohio, et al. v. American Express case:
“As stands today, the payment card industry lacks competition and transparency, where interchange fees and operating rules continue to obstruct a merchant’s ability to incentivize consumers to use a lower cost of acceptance. We are disappointed with the Supreme Court’s ruling today as it will allow American Express to continue its unfair practices of preventing retailers from offering benefits, such as discounts to consumers for using cards with lower fees, and more importantly, prohibits merchants from educating consumers about those fees. Choice, competition and transparency are key free market principles that in which both Main Street grocers and their consumers benefit from.”
