“We are calling on the OFT and the Competition Commission to ensure that they take into account the devastating impact that the supermarkets’ current buying practices can have on suppliers, farmers, workers and producers both in the UK and overseas.

“In recent years, we have seen an increase in the disappearance of local shops resulting in the loss of community facilities and declining local economies. We are also counting the environmental cost of supermarkets such as excess packaging, food miles and out of town shopping centres.

Supermarket dominance can also impact on the most vulnerable in our society such as older people and those on low-incomes who may be most affected by the loss of local shops and markets."