Amazon now required to comply with GSCOP

16 February 2022

A picture of fruit and vegetables on a supermarket shelf

The NFU has welcomed news that the multinational online business Amazon is to be brought under the jurisdiction of the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP). 

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced this week that Amazon will now have to abide by GSCOP rules when it comes to dealing with its supply chain.  

The CMA said it had taken into account Amazon’s “increasing activity in the UK groceries’ sector in recent years” in its decision to designate the retailer, with Amazon having reached the all-important £1bn from grocery sales needed to qualify.

NFU win

The NFU has been lobbying the CMA for a number of years to annually review the grocery market to ensure any growing organisations, like Amazon, were included in the GSCOP remit. 

The NFU welcomes the decision as it will mean Amazon will have to alter their trading practices to ensure they comply with GSCOP and thousands of companies supplying Amazon with groceries are now safeguarded against potential unfair trading practices. 

How does GSCOP work?

The Groceries Supply Code of Practice is legislation which came in to protect food and drink suppliers to major supermarkets from being treated unfairly.

To be classed as a designated GSCOP retailer, a company’s UK grocery sales turnover must be greater than £1billion. It currently covers, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, Co-Op, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Iceland, B&M, Ocado, Home bargains, and now Amazon.  

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