MPs are set to question the chief executives of Sainsbury’s and Asda as scrutiny of the supermarket chains’ proposed merger increases.
A cross-party parliamentary committee will question Sainsbury’s Mike Coupe and Asda’s Roger Burnley on 20 June, with MPs from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee saying they would gather evidence on the deal.
“Grocery retailers do not have a great record of treating their suppliers well,” the Efra committee’s chair Neil Parish said in a statement.
“My committee is holding this session to investigate how the biggest potential shake-up of the grocery market in recent years could affect British farmers and suppliers, as well as consumers.”
Sainsbury’s announced its plan to buy Asda, which is owned by US retail giant Walmart, in April.
If the deal passes the competition authorities, the combined company will leapfrog Tesco to become the UK’s biggest supermarket chain.
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