Retail Market Inquiry

GROCERY RETAIL SECTOR MARKET INQUIRY

The Commission has initiated a market inquiry into the South African grocery retail sector. The Inquiry commenced on 27 November 2015 and is expected to be completed in May 2017. The Commission has initiated the Grocery Retail Market Inquiry as it has reason to believe that there are features present within this sector that may prevent, distort or restrict competition, and to pursue the purpose of the Competition Act.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES – PUBLIC HEARINGS

We are pleased to announce that the Inquiry will be holding its public hearings on the following dates

Province	Date of Public Hearing	Date of pre-hearing
Western Cape	08 – 12 May 2017 Venue: Pepperclub Hotel & Spa Schedule for Public Hearings Speaking notes by Prof Halton Cheadle Transcripts	10 April 2017
Gauteng	05 – 09 June 2017 Schedule for Public Hearings Speaking notes by Ms Lulama Mtanga Transcripts	22 May 2017
KwaZulu-Natal	03 – 07 July 2017 Schedule for Public hearings Speaking notes by Prof Cheadle Transcripts	14 June 2017

A day has been scheduled for pre-hearings before each respective public hearing, to allow the Inquiry’s Panel and technical team to engage with stakeholders that have registered to make submissions prior to each respective public hearing.

Please note that the topics to be discussed at our public hearings include:

The impact (negative and positive effects) of the entry of national supermarket chains into townships, peri-urban areas, rural areas and the informal economy;
The impact of long term exclusive lease agreements and the role of financiers on competition in the grocery retail sector;
The impact of regulations and by-laws on competition in the grocery retail sector; and
The impact of buyer groups and buyer power of purchasers of fast moving consumer goods on competition in the grocery retail sector.

Should you have already registered to participate in the Inquiry’s public hearings, we will engage with you directly to confirm you still intend to make your representations.

For stakeholders who have not yet registered to participate in the Inquiry’s public hearings, kindly note the following deadlines are applicable:

Deadline for registrations for the public hearings is 31 March 2017. Kindly complete the attached registration form and send it back to the Inquiry before this deadline; and
Deadline for the submission of documents to the Inquiry is 7 April 2017.

We welcome all consumers, retailers of all sizes (especially small and independent retailers), and any other interested parties to submit their views and experiences to the Inquiry.

All submissions must be hand-written or typed (preferably in English). Should you require any assistance in making your submission please do not hesitate to contact the Inquiry’s technical team on 012 394 3200 or 012 394 3320.

All submissions must be marked for the attention of Ms. Louise du Plessis, Technical Team Head: Market Inquiry into the Grocery Retail Sector and delivered to:

Email: Retail@compcom.co.za

Hand Delivery: Uuzaji Building, Block E, Second Floor,

The DTI Campus, 77 Meintjies Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria, 0002

Post: Private Bag X23, Lynwood Ridge Pretoria

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Remarks by Chairperson of the Market Inquiry Prof. Halton Cheadle	17 May 2016
Gazetted Terms of Reference	30 October 2015
Statement of Issues	15 July 2016
Guidelines for Submissions of Data and Technical Analysis	15 July 2016
Guidelines for participation	15 July 2016
Administrative Timelines	15 July 2016

Comments received on draft documents Non-Confidential submissions received on final documents	15 July 2016 August 2016
Bios of panel members	18 February 2016