Abstract
The food sector is the largest in UK retail. It is also one of the most competitive and controversial due to the concentration of power into the hands of only three or four players. The small store lobby is well organised and vocal and is proving a considerable thorn in the side of the big players.
In recent years, consumers have been trading up, but supply issues are leading to rising commodity and food prices, and this coupled with the recent banking crisis, could prompt price to move back up the agenda. Consumers are becoming more concerned with quality and provenance and locally sourced product is becoming big business. This also benefits the environment by cutting down on food miles, which ties in with the persisting obsession with green and ethical issues such as Fair Trade.
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