MULHOLLAND WELCOMES SMALL SHOPS GROUP'S FINDINGS

12.00.00am GMT Tue 3rd Jan 2006

Greg Mulholland, MP for Leeds North West, has today backed a report by the All-Party Parliamentary Small Shops Group, which Greg is a member of, entitled High Street Britain 2015. The report, which is due to be released at the end of the month, is expected to warn that independent retailers and wholesalers will disappear within a decade.

Greg became a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Small Shops Group before Christmas and launched a campaign in Parliament in December encouraging people to support their Small Shops at Christmas.

Commenting, Greg said:

"As a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Small Shops Group and also as a campaigner for the protection of our small shops, I welcome this report. Warnings that independent retailers and wholesalers will disappear within the next decade, due in part to some questionable practices such as predatory pricing employed by some of the top four supermarkets, is deeply concerning. The Government and competition authorities must take steps to curb the power of the some of the most powerful supermarkets.

"It is essential that we over-come the unfair trading advantage the top four supermarkets have achieved in recent years. By doing this, we will encourage diversity in areas such as Headingley and Otley, which have begun to suffer at the hands of chain stores."