British Retail Consortium (BRC) director general Stephen Robertson has warned of the dangers to the sector of costly over-regulation, including the planned new ombudsman to police supermarket-supplier relationships.
Speaking at the Conservative Party’s Economic Summit yesterday, Robertson said: “Politicians of every hue and consumer groups need to understand that regulation always costs. Those costs will inevitably work through to higher prices.
“New regulation must pass two tests. It must be the last resort and it must be properly targeted.
“Now is not the time for a multi-million pound supermarket-supplier ombudsman. It’s not a time for new taxes on empty business premises, supplementary business rates, or huge increases in the national minimum wage.
“As you begin to make your manifesto commitments for the next General Election, I urge you to support, not undermine UK retailing. It’s essential that retailers are not distracted from their key task of serving customers by being burdened with more regulations, regulators, initiatives and codes.”
