Planning guidelines 'stifling supermarket competition'

The Competition Authority has today claimed that the current planning guidelines are hindering competition in the grocery sector.

A new report from the Authority says the guidelines make it hard for new retailers to enter the market and for existing ones to expand.

The report makes seven recommendations which it says would promote competition in the grocery sector and provide consumers with better value for money.

They include an end to the caps on the size of grocery stores.