No evidence to suggest ParknShop and Wellcome are anti-competitive, Legco told
There is no evidence that shows ParknShop and Wellcome were engaging in anti-competitive behaviour that could threaten traditional wet markets and smaller supermarkets, the government said yesterday.
A Commerce, Industry and Trade Bureau submission to the Legislative Council said that while there were concerns about the ongoing competitiveness of wet markets, there was no reason to believe that they were the victim of anti-competitive behaviour.
It was another indication that the government would not introduce a law that prohibits anti-competitive acts.
The submission was made in response to a paper authored by the Consumer Council last year that claimed consumers could face higher prices and have fewer products to choose from if the big supermarket chains tightened their stranglehold on the industry.
The future of wet markets and their workers was also at risk, the council said, arguing that a comprehensive competition policy was needed.
'There is no evidence showing that supermarket chains have engaged in anti-competitive acts or abused their market power to limit accessibility and contestability,' the submission said.