Some 30 per cent of suppliers reported a Groceries Code issue, down from 33 per cent a year ago
Supermarkets have improved their treatment of suppliers in the past year, a new survey indicates.
According to the 12th annual Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) survey, suppliers to the 14 designated large retailers experienced fewer code issues and improved treatment for the second year running.
The number of suppliers reporting that they faced a code issue fell from 33 per cent in 2024 to 30 per cent in 2025.
The survey also showed an improvement in code compliance across the retailers, with average perceived code compliance rising from 91 per cent in 2024 to 93 per cent in 2025.
This was largely driven by improvements at the five retailers with the lowest perceived code compliance in 2024, adjudicator Mark White said.
There has also been improved performance against issues prioritised by the GCA, with 17 per cent of suppliers saying they had experienced inadequate processes and procedures in place to enable invoice discrepancies to be resolved promptly, compared to 21 per cent in 2024.
Some 11 per cent of suppliers highlighted delays in payments, compared to 14 per cent in 2024.
“I’m pleased that average code compliance has continued to improve across the sector and it’s particularly encouraging that the lowest five performing retailers have improved perceptions of their overall compliance with the Groceries Code,” White said.
“I will speak to each retailer about suppliers’ views, and I expect them to review their individual survey results and make changes in response to issues impacting suppliers.
“When I raise issues with retailers, I do so in a way that protects suppliers’ confidentiality and does not reveal which suppliers I’ve spoken to or even what products they supply.”
Compliance performance
Overall compliance scores across the retailers ranged from 98 per cent to 66 per cent, with an average compliance across all 14 retailers of 93 per cent compared to 91 per cent in 2024.
Perceptions of eight retailers’ code compliance improved by a percentage point or more (when rounded to whole percentages), including the five retailers with the lowest perceived compliance in 2024.
Waitrose had the highest perceived code compliance at 98 per cent.
