The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) has today launched a
targeted investigation
into whether Amazon.com, Inc. (Amazon) has breached paragraph 5
(No delay in Payments) of the Groceries Code.
The GCA has reasonable grounds to suspect that Amazon has
breached paragraph 5 of the Code (No delay in Payments) from 1
March 2022 to 20 June 2025. This is based on evidence from a
range of sources.
The investigation will cover the extent to which paragraph 5 of
the Code may have been breached; any impact of Amazon's conduct
on suppliers; and the root causes of any issues. In particular it
will focus on the nature, extent and impact of practices which
may have resulted in delays in payments including Amazon's
receipt of goods and payment processes, its processes for
managing supplier concerns relating to deductions from payments,
and its use of settlements of deductions in its commercial
negotiations with suppliers.
The investigation will cover the period between Amazon's
designation (1 March 2022) and 20 June 2025 but will focus on the
period since 1 January 2024, in order to have the fullest
understanding of Amazon's contemporaneous practices.
The Adjudicator Mark White said:
Delays in payment can significantly harm suppliers. The alleged
delays could expose Amazon suppliers to excessive risk and
unexpected costs, potentially affecting their ability to invest
and innovate.
I decided to launch this targeted investigation based on the
range of evidence I have seen from multiple sources. It will
allow me to determine whether Amazon has breached paragraph 5 of
the Groceries Code and the root cause of any breach.
I encourage all direct suppliers and other stakeholders to
respond to my call for evidence and provide information about
your experiences with Amazon. All responses will be completely
confidential.
Prior engagement with Amazon
Having heard from suppliers reporting Code issues, the
Adjudicator, Mark White, told Amazon in 2024 that it must take
swift and comprehensive action to demonstrably comply with the
Code.
The GCA then monitored actions taken by Amazon and heard further
detailed evidence about experiences with Amazon. Based on this
evidence it was clear that an investigation into compliance with
paragraph 5 of the Groceries Code specifically was required.
Other Groceries Code issues at Amazon
The GCA has also received information about other issues at
Amazon. The GCA is continuing to engage with Amazon as part of
its ongoing collaborative approach and expects Amazon to take
action to address these issues.
If a further investigation is necessary to resolve these issues,
the GCA will not hesitate to launch one.
Next steps
The Adjudicator has called for direct suppliers and other
stakeholders to respond to the GCA's call for evidence to share
experiences of supplying Amazon.
Submissions may be made by completing the GCA's confidential questionnaire,
or on paper or in electronic form submitted to the GCA at:
Groceries Code Adjudicator
7th Floor, The Cabot
25 Cabot Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 4QZ
E-mail to: enquiries@GroceriesCode.gov.uk
The call for evidence will close on 8 August 2025. All responses
to the call for evidence will be treated as completely
confidential.
Confidentiality and data protection
The GCA has a statutory duty to keep information, including
information provided in response to its call for evidence
confidential. The statutory guidance provides that information
which identifies a supplier will be confidential unless that
supplier waives confidentiality.
This means that no individual supplier or respondent to the call
for evidence will be named, or otherwise be identifiable either
in the report or in any other way to Amazon.
The GCA may refer in its investigation report or elsewhere to
evidence from submissions in an anonymised way. That means that
the GCA might refer to evidence provided, but not in any way that
makes individuals or businesses identifiable.
The GCA may, under its statutory powers, request further
information from respondents arising from the call for evidence.
Please be aware that information provided in response to the call
for evidence may be the subject of a request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (or other UK legislation).
The GCA will process personal data in accordance with all
applicable data protection laws and its privacy notice.
