The New Zealand Food and Grocery Council (NZFCG) will canvas the views of its supplier members over Foodstuffs’ proposal to merge its North Island and South Island companies.
Chief Executive Raewyn Bleakley said the merger had been a much-talked-about prospect for many years.
“We note it is for the Commerce Commission to assess robustly, and also that the Boards of both Foodstuffs North Island and Foodstuffs South Island are clear the merger ‘must deliver meaningful benefits for customers and all our stakeholders’, and that would be a positive outcome,” said Bleakley.
“The NZFGC Board will discuss how we approach this important issue later this week. It will be important for us to carefully canvas members’ views and diligently assess the impacts on suppliers and the industry.”
Bleakley continued that while the Commerce Commission must assess the application robustly, The NZFGC will actively participate in the consultation process and ensure it is well supported with competition law advice.
“A number of practical issues and concerns have already been raised with me, and I welcome members making contact to discuss in confidence over the next few weeks. There will also be more structured avenues provided for members to share their thoughts on the proposal with NZFGC in due course.”
