Scottish retail body rejects SNP’s proposal for food-price caps

The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) has rejected the SNP’s connection to headdress prices for immoderate indispensable nutrient products, calling the program a “gimmick”.

Scottish National Party (SNP) person John Swinney enactment guardant the proposition for statutory terms caps successful his predetermination manifesto yesterday (16 April) up of the polls connected 7 May.

“The escalating outgo of surviving crisis, peculiarly the crisp emergence successful nutrient prices, requires targeted involution to support people’s quality to spend essentials. This is captious to guarantee that everyone tin get a balanced fare that meets nutritional needs,” the manifesto papers read.

Ewan MacDonald-Russell, the lawman caput of the SRC, which is portion of the wider British Retail Consortium, kicked backmost and suggested the authorities should chopped burdensome taxes alternatively than heap much unit connected supermarkets.

"Many of the costs keeping store prices precocious are present arising from the muddle of caller regulations and taxes coming from authorities policies,” MacDonald-Russell said successful a statement.

“Rather than recreating 1970s-style terms controls and potty gimmicks, nationalist argumentation should get superior and absorption connected cutting retailers’ costs truthful that resources tin beryllium directed to keeping prices arsenic debased arsenic imaginable for customers.”

The SNP is calling for mandatory headdress connected a handbasket of 20 to 50 indispensable nutrient items specified arsenic bread, beverage and eggs astatine “large” supermarkets to “provide tangible alleviation to families struggling with market bills”.

Supermarkets would beryllium required to headdress astatine slightest 1 point wrong a class but would not person to bounds prices crossed the full range, according to the SNP.

SRC’s MacDonald-Russell outlined the efforts nutrient retailers are already taking to safeguard consumers from the rising outgo of living, noting supermarkets are already operating connected good margins portion besides supporting their ain staff.

“Supermarkets person ever tally connected precise slim margins, particularly erstwhile compared with different parts of the food-supply chain, but profits person fallen importantly successful caller times,” helium said.

“Even so, retailers proceed to put heavy to support prices down, grow their affordable nutrient ranges, fastener successful the terms of galore essentials, and rise wage for staff.”

MacDonald-Russell again attacked authorities policy, noting rising costs are often beyond the power of retailers, though helium made nary notation to the imaginable proviso impacts from the struggle successful the Middle East.

“Elevated nutrient prices are a nonstop effect of soaring proviso concatenation and commodity costs and frankly relentless rises successful statutory costs imposed by governments,” helium added.