International News

UNITED KINGDOM--The former Head of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), John Bridgeman, called for a new investigation into the way supermarkets dominate food retailing in Britain, BBC News Online reported.

Market analysts have calculated that in 14 districts in the United Kingdom, Tesco has more than 40 percent of the grocery market. In November 2005, Tesco revealed plans to double the number of Tesco Express convenience stores to 1,200.

On Medway, a main street located in Kent, Tesco dominates 41 percent of the market in that area. This week, OFT officials met with an all-parliamentary group to discuss the implications of Tesco's dominance , reported BBC News Online.

The all-party inquiry on the future of Medway has heard that more than 20 percent of independent shops in the UK have closed between 2000 and 2004, with more than 2,000 closing last year, according to the report.

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