Competitors Bureau investigating restrictive actual property clauses in Canadian grocery sector

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The Competitors Bureau says it is investigating the usage of property clauses, which restrict how actual property can be utilized by opponents, within the Canadian grocery sector.

Watchdog says clauses make it tougher for brand spanking new supermarkets to open

A buyer retailers at Metro grocery retailer in Montreal on Oct. 26, 2022. The Competitors Bureau says it is investigating the usage of property clauses, which restrict how actual property can be utilized by opponents, within the Canadian grocery sector. (Ivanoh Demers/CBC)

The Competitors Bureau says it is investigating the usage of restrictive actual property clauses within the Canadian grocery sector.

Deputy commissioner Anthony Durocher instructed a Home of Commons committee learning meals costs that these measures, usually referred to as “property controls,” generally is a main barrier to entry and enlargement within the Canadian market.

Within the Bureau’s June 2023 report on competitors in grocery it described property controls as clauses added to a lease or deed that restrict how actual property can be utilized by opponents.

This will embrace limiting the sorts of shops that may open in a mall, or limiting the type of retailer that is allowed to open in that location after a tenant leaves the property.

For instance, if a grocery retailer is shifting to a close-by location, the property management clause may forestall a competitor from getting into the previous retailer.

The Bureau’s report beneficial that governments restrict use of the clauses within the sector, saying they make it tougher for brand spanking new supermarkets to open, and might curb competitors.

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