Edition 39: News from the Adjudicator
Source: gov.uk (2025-01-21)

Read the latest newsletter from the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA).

The 2025 GCA survey is now live! (https://start.yougov.com/refer/v0swwK6p3VsBs5) I would like as many suppliers as possible to complete it before it closes on 23 February 2025.

Your confidential responses provide vital information on which of the large retailers have treated suppliers well, or poorly, over the past 12 months and which you perceive are most, and least, compliant with the Groceries Code.

The results of the survey directly inform my work. I will use the results to challenge the retailers on issues and concerning behaviour, working with them to implement changes.

The 2024 survey

The 2024 survey showed improvements in the large retailers’ treatment of their suppliers. There was a fall in the number of suppliers experiencing a Groceries Code issue and fewer suppliers raising several issues including the retailers’ processes to promptly resolve invoice discrepancies and data input errors.

There was a 12% reduction in the percentage of suppliers highlighting the retailers’ handling of CPI requests as an issue in the 2024 survey. For the first time in three years, it was not the most reported issue.

I am very interested to see what changes suppliers perceive in the prominence of each individual issue in 2025.

The 2024 survey results also highlighted suppliers’ concerns about Amazon; its perceived Code compliance score fell from 59% to 47%. I am monitoring the actions that Amazon is taking to ensure that it is demonstrably complying with the Code and want to continue to hear from suppliers about their ongoing experiences.

Please respond to the 2025 survey (https://start.yougov.com/refer/v0swwK6p3VsBs5) to tell me what you think of Groceries Code compliance across all the large retailers.

Next steps

The survey, run by YouGov, is open until Sunday 23 February 2025 and I will publish the results in the summer.

I will also commission YouGov to conduct anonymous follow-up interviews with a select group of suppliers to explore their experiences supplying the large retailers in more detail. If you would like to be interviewed, please provide your consent and contact details at the end of the survey.

You can take part in the 2025 survey here. (https://start.yougov.com/refer/v0swwK6p3VsBs5)

Retailer engagement

I held my regular progress meetings with all the Code Compliance Officers (CCOs) in October and November (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/octobernovember-2024-cco-progress-meetings-record/octobernovember-2024-record-of-the-groceries-code-adjudicator-gca-progress-meetings-with-code-compliance-officers-ccos) of last year. The meetings covered a range of topics including payment performance. I emphasised the importance of ensuring suppliers are paid according to agreed terms and encouraged the large retailers to continue improving their payment practices.

I will be meeting the chair of each of the retailer’s audit committee (or equivalent) to discuss compliance activities, the critical role of the CCO and any other Groceries Code issues affecting the retailers.

Further information
- If you are reading this on the GCA website but want to receive future newsletters by email, you can sign up here (https://enquiries-53e25.gr8.com/).
- You can also follow the GCA LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/groceries-code-adjudicator) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/UKGCA) accounts to keep up to date with the latest news, information, and events.
Getting in touch

If you would like to get in touch with me and the GCA team confidentially about the survey or any other issue, please email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx) or report issues anonymously via telltheGCA.co.uk (https://tellthegca.co.uk/).

Mark White