Grocery suppliers in the UK are seeing better treatment from the country’s largest retailers, according to the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA).
The 12th annual GCA Groceries Sector Survey, published on 25 June, showed a drop in the number of suppliers facing issues with compliance to the Groceries Code, a set of rules designed to protect suppliers in their dealings with major supermarkets.
The survey found 30% of grocery suppliers reported problems related to the Groceries Code in 2025, down from 33% in 2024.
The overall level of compliance with the Code across 14 designated retailers rose from 91% in 2024 to 93% in 2025. Improvements were particularly noticeable among the five retailers who had the lowest compliance scores the previous year.
Specific areas of concern for suppliers showed positive signs of progress. For example, 17% of suppliers said they had experienced poor processes for resolving invoice disputes, a decrease from 21% last year. Delays in payments were also reported less frequently, dropping from 14% of suppliers in 2024 to 11% in 2025.
These improvements reflect more timely payments and clearer communication between retailers and suppliers.
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By GlobalDataMark White, the Groceries Code Adjudicator, said he was encouraged by the rising compliance scores and improvements among lower-performing retailers.
To gain further insight, the GCA has commissioned YouGov to conduct interviews with suppliers. The findings from these interviews will be presented at the GCA’s 2025 annual conference on 30 September.
Last week, the GCA launched an investigation into Amazon for alleged breaches of rules governing payments to suppliers.
The watchdog said it had “reasonable grounds” to suspect Amazon has breached the UK’s Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP), which requires no delays in supplier payments.
The investigation will examine Amazon’s practices from March 2022 to June 2025, based on evidence received from “a range of sources”, the GCA said.
An Amazon spokesperson told Just Drinks the retail giant takes the GSCOP “incredibly seriously” and will “cooperate fully with the adjudicator”.
“We have already made significant improvements to our grocery supplier experience, including to payment practices, with supplier contacts on this reducing year-on-year,” the spokesperson added.
According to the watchdog’s 2024 annual survey, fewer than half of respondents directly supplying Amazon believed the retailer “consistently” or “mostly” adhered to the code.
