Supermarket concerns are voiced in Scotland

The Competition Commission has been in Scotland hearing evidence from farmers, grocers and environmentalists. You can find more on the BBC, the Herald has a more local view and also quotes Chris Jenkins, head of supermarkets at the Office of Fair Trading, who said the primary reason for referring the sector on this occasion was planning and land issues. John Drummond, chief executive of the Scottish Grocers Federation, said recent supermarket approvals showed that "the planning system is being made to work for developers rather than communities". At Dunbar, the local planning rejection had been overruled by the minister, while at Huntly two large stores were now serving only 4200 people and some town centre retailers were reporting takings down by 50%.

The Competition Commission expects to take two years to complete its investigations but is planning to publish a progress update before Christmas.