Monopoly Watch Responds To Minister's Milestone In Supermarket Competition Marathon

Supermarket Marathon Continues as Minister Announces Express Lane
Yet more sensible work signals the preparation for a new consumer era

Auckland, 27 August 2025 — Monopoly Watch continues to be encouraged that bi partisan cooperation in delivering a new era of consumer competition is now happening.

In the same 7-day period as banking competition was revved up a notch, pressure is being kept on supermarkets to either offer up a section 89f voluntary break up undertaking simultaneously to continued workstreams with officials to better understand – what it would take to fix the problem.

Monopoly Watch appreciated the following features of the Ministers announcement

• She is focused on completing fast tracking of new supermarket infrastructure, with a very high bar for incumbent supermarkets. This makes sense.
• She delivers as minister a granular understanding of the Commerce Act Competition law matters specifically predatory pricing, pocket pricing and abuse of power.
• She is increasing efforts to understand what a break up looks like with structural separation of distribution and a break up of retail, commissioning a cost-benefit study
• The ending of discussion about what the problem is and a clear focus on a strategy to fix the industry, along with due consideration as to what can go wrong and the costs of government intervention in an industry.
• Positive language which will motivate incumbents Woolworths and Foodstuffs to submit a voluntary undertaking offer of a break up.

Monopoly Watch will continue to engage with its “what it will take to fix “ checklist with Wellington officials.

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