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Francesca Rudkin: The great supermarket talkathon continues · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: A lovely teas yesterday from the government aimed at those
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: of us still hurting at the cost of putting food
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: in the supermarket trolley. The government wants more competition in
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: the grocery sector. It was a nicely timed message. Despite
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: all the big picture talk of foreign investment in a
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: new economic ministry and a focus on growth, growth, growth,
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  Speaker 1: the government has not forgotten that most key wes are
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: dealing with simpler day to day challenges like affording groceries.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: About the announcement by Financing Economic Growth, Minister Nikola Willis
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: at the University of Waikato Economics Forum in Hamilton was
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: very much connected to the government's economic growth plan and
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: look that's not a bad thing. Got to love a
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: government with focus, or at least messaging focus. The issue
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: is there isn't really a plan here at all. The
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  Speaker 1: government has set its receptive to cracking down on pricing
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: and helping you entrants access land and properties. Willis said
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: that if the new competitor presented a proposal to her,
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  Speaker 1: she would be willing to do a deal give them
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: the VIP treatment through a bespoke arrangement. There was mention
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: of existing proposals that Willis knew of companies possibly interested,
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  Speaker 1: but for commercial reasons, she wouldn't disclose who they were.
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  Speaker 1: Who knows how serious these contenders are. Do they have
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: a well considered proposal or was it a conversation in
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  Speaker 1: a corry lounge. It all sounds quite hypothetical. Those with
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: knowledge of the grocery industry will tell you that the
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  Speaker 1: only way a third party could make a go of
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  Speaker 1: it here they would need roughly one hundred and forty outlets,
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: set up a billion dollar supply chain, and would require
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: the big players to be broken up for any competition
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: on price or sustainability. It is a lot. Willis says
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  Speaker 1: she's up for the fight, but a forced divestment of
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  Speaker 1: some properties by incumbents is needed. It will be some
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: scrap one the previous government did not push ahead with.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: So I'm not entirely sure what this teas has accomplished
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: other than some friendly headlines, A gentle poke at Foodstuffs
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: and will Worths and to continue the keyweed distant dream
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: of lower prices if a third party entered the New
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: Zealand super market scene. So the Great Supermarket Talkathon continues.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: For more from early edition with Ryan Bridge listen live
• 2:09
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• 2:12
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