NGA Statement on Unsealed FTC Complaint

Washington, D.C. – The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, issued the following statement tonight: 

“The unsealed Federal Trade Commission complaint alleging preferential pricing and promotional treatment for Walmart highlights longstanding concerns among independent community grocers about anticompetitive practices in the marketplace.

When massive national chain retailers receive discounts, allowances, or services that are not offered to competitors on equitable terms, it places Main Street businesses at a structural disadvantage.  The Robinson-Patman Act was designed to promote fair competition by preventing price discrimination that harms smaller retailers, and it is a vital tool that has been recognized on a bipartisan basis by FTC commissioners to protect competition and fair markets. Independent grocers are not asking for special treatment, only a level playing field, which ultimately supports local jobs, strengthens competition, and ensures consumers continue to have choice and value at the grocery store. NGA calls on the FTC to enforce the Robinson-Patman Act against the power buyers who violate the law by undercutting the competition by forcing their competitors and American consumers to pay higher prices for groceries.”

About the National Grocers Association

NGA is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale community grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2 percent of the nation’s overall economy and is responsible for generating more than $250 billion in sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers located in every congressional district across the country, as well as state grocers’ associations, manufacturers and service suppliers. For more information about NGA, visit www.nationalgrocers.org.