Call to abolish supermarket price ban

A BAN on supermarkets undercutting the prices of smaller shops should be abolished to bring more competition into the market, it was claimed yesterday.

Lobby group Consumers Association of Ireland (CAI) said it had generally been in favour of the 1987 below-cost selling legislation but had changed its stance.

“We are rapidly coming to the conclusion that the ban should be abolished,” CAI chairman Michael Kilcoyne said.