Problematising supermarket-supplier relations: dual perspectives of competition and fairness

Abstract

The power asymmetry between major supermarket chains and suppliers in Australia and abroad has been analysed largely through an economic lens, focused predominantly on consumer prices. This article takes a wider stance, considering both the economic and the social perspectives that infuse debates relating to the supermarket treatment of their suppliers. The two perspectives are not, as they first appear, disconnected or in conflict. Rather, as with many socio-economic interactions, they are connected and interdependent. Applying a problematisation analysis, we explore the ways in which issues relating to the imbalance in bargaining power between major supermarkets and suppliers have been fra..