Supermarket Duopoly so frightened of regulation they conjure up Auckland Volcanos
How frightened is the greedy Supermarket Duopoly that regulated capitalism is going to be forced upon them?
This frightened…
Auckland’s volcanoes among reasons not to mess with supermarkets, says Countdown
The risk of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions interfering with food supplies should make the Commerce Commission think twice about splitting up the country’s major supermarket chains, Countdown says.
The competition watchdog will decide by early March whether to recommend the Government helps make way for a third supermarket group by requiring Countdown and Foodstuffs to sell some of their stores and split their distribution and retail operations.
In its final submission on the commission’s market study into the $22 billion groceries industry, made public just before Christmas, Countdown said it was “deeply concerned” about what it described as some of the more interventionist options canvassed by the regulator.
…the greedy supermarket duopoly is so frightened that actual moderated, regulated capitalism is coming that they have had to try and evoke an Auckland volcanic eruption to hold onto their market dominance!
This year inflation will cripple the poor, Jacinda can’t merely pull a concerned face, turn her head and nod empathetically as inflation guts the poor!
Poor Kiwis who were promised transformation in 2017 and got a clawed back welfare payment of less than $5 a eeek deserve more!
The Government stepping in and regulating capitalism properly to end monopolies and duopolies at a time when inflated food prices are crippling is the right move.
Kiwibank changed the banking environment for the better, the Government supermarket could do the same!
With State and Iwi backing we could get a Supermarket chain that pays workers the living wage, pays producers a fair price for their product AND provide lower prices for consumers.
Fuck the Australians, fuck the greedy kiwi Bosses and fuck their imaginary Auckland Volcanoes – National lets the dogs of free market capitalism off the leash while Labour puts them back on the leash!
This is what regulated capitalism looks like!
With food prices inflating dangerously, people need more than just the ability to endure, they need hope and the hope that a 3rd party stepping into supermarkets to provide lower prices is the holy grail of hope.
Labour need to step up now.
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“Jacinda can’t merely pull a concerned face, turn her head and nod empathetically as inflation guts the poor!”
Well, she does that quite a lot actually. Recall the coutcry on exorbitant petrol prices? That affect the less well off significantly more. Lots of concern shown back then. Lots of head tilting and frowning. I think even the Faff was deployed to look at the fuel cartels, call for reports, make all the right noises. What did we get? Gas stations now proudly display the rip off prices of all octanes of fuel and that’s it. Soooo 2018, got bored with that. Plus Aucklanders pay 11 cents per litre on top of the rip off prices for Auckland Council to spend on judder bars and more judder bars.
I’ll believe the government really care when a third player opens their doors and not a minute before. Probably around the time Michael Woods Simpson’s inspired Monorail scheme takes to the sky. Or was it the London underground on weight loss medication? Or lightrail to Mt Roskill by when was it again…yes, that’s right, last year. It’s so hard to connect the fantasy with reality nowadays!
Commerce Commission should not get involved in regulating the supermarkets. If people can’t afford supermarket prices, they should get better paying jobs or let them eat cake!
@Anna, minus one.
Commerce Commission has been asleep at the wheel on supermarket behaviour and the price of food has been driving inequality in NZ. There are now record people who need food banks in NZ and NZ supermarkets and food regulations and policy that keeps small operators from selling food directly is part of the problem.
Can the supermarkets pay back all the wage subsidies that their employees need from WFF and accomodation benefit, welfare top ups, as sick of subsidising the corporate supermarkets that charge a fortune to consumers and then get government money for their staff wages!
Supermarkets pay their employee so little while impoverishing more and more people in this country and making record profits.
Supermarket owners banking super profits, NBR Rich List shows
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/106288425/supermarket-owners-banking-super-profits-nbr-rich-list-shows
Hopefully Commerce Commission will fine supermarkets for cartel and anti competitive behaviour to their suppliers and customers as well. It is also now illegal (finally) for NZ companies to engage in price fixing and monopoly behaviour.
Hopefully a wake up call, as the NZ is so small that we have an epidemic of bad behaviour that is rampant in NZ, not publicised by huge conflicts of interest with NZ media who are paid to support the supermarkets positions.
Ripping off consumers has now become the norm in NZ while not talking about it in MSM.
Time the commerce commission got some teeth, and started investigating and prosecuting the major beneficiaries and controlling companies of industry in NZ and the government backs them to do it.
We will all be better off with a clean out of bad policy and behaviour rampant in NZ.
We can’t build a house anymore or afford to buy food. What is next?
Anna. I guess you’re being facetious here, but if you are one of the Bill E and John Key apostolate, then surely the answer is to bring in more rich immigrants who CAN afford the exorbitantly high food prices.
( PS. That “ let them eat cake “ quote of poor Marie Antoinette’s is, as usual as out of context as Sartre’s “ Hell is other people”, tossed around by gits trying to look intelligent – the boulangeries of Paris are a famous historical entity which you cannot even begin to compare to a crappy supermarket owned by another immigrant – just leave the French out if this, and stick to your spaghetti toppings.)
House prices
Child poverty
House building + Social housing
Environment
House prices
House prices
It’s been time to step up for quite a while with no sign of the foot lifting.
The poor getting poorer has not been a particular concern of this administration up until now.
I predict nothing will happen, but we will hear lots of words…
my thoughts also.
Inflation is galloping around the world as U.S interest rates unexpectedly moved higher this Wednesday.
Made me laugh, the same arguement could be used to nationalize em idiots.
Needs a third player for sure Aldi or similar who run a different model would really change things.
And try getting better at Urban planning, you dusty star woman.
The Commerce Commission is part of the problem. They are not as ethical and independent as they should be. The Commerce Commission previously allowed Foodtown to be swallowed up by Progressive (who own Countdown) and hence entrench such monopoly/duopoly power in NZ’s supermarkets. Similarly the Commerce Commission also allowed Z to take over Caltex NZ to also further entrench Z’s dominance in NZ’s retail fuels sector. To properly solve the problem, the Commerce Commission needs to be improved to serve the interests of people rather than commercial groups.
Given NZ’s tainted history, I suspect govt would be incapable of solving this supermarket duopoly problem which was created by successive NZ governments (both Labout and National). Forcing Progressives and Foodstuffs to sell off certain stores isn’t going to create more competition. It will simply replace one form of oligopoly (the existing duopoly) with other forms of oligopoly (3-poly? or 4-poly?).
From a practical viewpoint, I’d suggest that the miscellaneous other category would need to be as significant or more significant in terms of market share than any of the future 4 or 5 big players if NZ wants to approach real competition which would have the effect of removing abnormal/supernormal profits. This will take over a decade to achieve regardless of govt regulation.
Great comment, although I think making the supermarkets sell stores will be a wake up call to stop the growing duopoloy situation. Most people don’t have the time or petrol money to shop around, they need supermarkets at convenient places so that would do a bit to help solve that issue. But clearly not the only issue as this segment is broken and taking over everything, including the ability of those who make food like farmers to be able to make a living from their farms and have some control over who they sell too. They need to give a lot more support to whistleblowers from being sued or punished by supermarkets.
Inflation is the increase of the money supply.
Othering of supermarkets doesn’t change this fact.
Sounds great……
How many new homes were Labour going to build?
Very good at making the right noises but…….
“What a Lot of F#%KING HUMBUG ?
As I am now boycotting the local Countdown and NWS, I went to a nearby village Four Square. It changed hands last year. It now consists of row after row of alcohol, and few groceries and dry goods. I didn’t purchase tea, as there was little there, at too high a price, and bought only one item of food. This is war against the people.
What about GST free food as in Australia?
What about GST free food as in Australia?