Groceries Code Adjudicator reflects on past and looks to future at annual conference
Mark White, the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), held his third Annual Conference on 28 September 2023.
Hundreds of representatives of suppliers, trade associations and the Retailers attended the GCA’s tenth annual conference on 28 September 2023.
The conference marked ten years since the creation of the GCA, providing an opportunity to reflect on the work of the GCA and how the industry has changed over the past decade.
As discussed during the conference, the GCA’s annual survey results capture this change. In the first GCA annual survey, undertaken in 2014, the average compliance with the Code across the then designated retailers was 73%. In the 2023 survey, this had increased to 92%. In 2014 79% of suppliers reported that they had a Code-related issue. By 2023, reporting of these issues had fallen dramatically, with only 36% of suppliers reporting having any Code-related issue.
The Adjudicator, Mark White, also set out his priorities for the year ahead, including:
- Retailers’ handling of cost price decreases: The Adjudicator called for all designated retailers to ensure that they apply the same principles behind the 7 Golden Rules for cost price increase requests to cost price decrease discussions.
- Requirements from Retailers: The Code Compliance Officers (CCOs) had been reminded in July that the Code restricts Retailers from Requiring suppliers to take certain actions, including paying as a condition of being a supplier. If he believes a Requirement has been made, Mark will challenge the Retailers to prove that there has been no Requirement.
- Buyer inexperience: The Adjudicator called for Retailers to train their buyers well and encourage them to go out and meet suppliers.
- Range reviews: Retailers were reminded of the importance of following the Code in relation to De-lists.
In addition to hearing from the Adjudicator, the conference featured:
- Messages from the Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business in the Department for Business and Trade and from the Competition and Markets Authority.
- An insight into suppliers’ issues from the GCA annual survey run by YouGov and the follow-on deep dive interviews conducted with suppliers. Download the YouGov presentation slides.
- One panel session on how the designated Retailers’ CCOs support suppliers and can help solve supplier issues and another on current and future challenges facing the sector.
The conference, the third organised by Mark White, was held as a hybrid conference with more than 100 attendees joining in-person in central London and hundreds of attendees participating online.