Amazon investigated over breach of code on payments to suppliers
The Groceries Code Adjudicator said it had launched a 'targeted investigation'' because it had 'reasonable grounds to suspect'' the technology and retail giant had breached rules governing fair payment of suppliers. It said it had received 'evidence from a range of sources'.
The regulator, which has the power to levy a fine up to 1 per cent of a retailer's UK turnover, said it had also received information about other alleged issues at Amazon. These are understood to include how suppliers are 'de-listed', or dropped, and payments made to Amazon by suppliers.
• Amazon to cut jobs as AI takes over white-collar roles
The adjudicator regulates the relationship between the UK's largest grocery retailers and their direct suppliers. The Amazon investigation is only the adjudicator's third since the office was established in 2013.
Its rules governing payments say that bills must be settled according to the terms of the agreement between supplier and grocer 'and, in any case, within a reasonable time after' the invoice date.
The adjudicator said the Amazon investigation 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'.
Mark White, the adjudicator, 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.'
The regulator has carried out two investigations, the first into Tesco in 2015 and the second into the Co-op in 2018. It has not used its powers to fine, although these only came into force for breaches after April 2015, so could not be used against Tesco.
An Amazon spokeswoman said the company took the rules 'incredibly seriously and we will co-operate fully with the adjudicator as he carries out his investigation'.
'While we are disappointed with this decision, we welcome the opportunity to further demonstrate our ongoing compliance,' she said.
The adjudicator governs rules which apply to retailers with UK annual groceries turnover exceeding £1 billion. Its description of groceries includes pet food, toiletries and cleaning and other household products as well as food and drink.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
11 minutes ago
- The Sun
Lucy Letby seen partying at pal's wedding while on bail for murdering seven babies in shock unseen photos
SHOCKING unseen pictures show Lucy Letby partying at a pal's wedding while on bail for murdering seven new-born babies. The images were shared by a friend of Letby, who did not want to be named, as part of a documentary which is due to air tonight. 7 7 7 Lucy Letby was convicted in 2023 of the sickening murder of seven babies and attempted murder of seven others. A friend of the child killer, using the fake name Dawn, siad she was thrilled that Letby could attend her wedding. She was determined that her friend, who she met as a teenager, was innocent and sought special permission from authorities for the killer to attend the wedding while on bail. Dawn remains convinced of her childhood friend's innocence and has stood by Letby despite her horrific crimes. She went on to claim that scribbled notes found in Letby's house weren't any sort of confession as previously suggested. She revealed that both her and Letby trained in peer-support counselling and learned to write down their worst fears and feelings as a method to deal with anxieties. Dawn was working when Letby was handed down a guilty verdict and said she couldn't take the news in. She said: "My assumption when all of this happened was that perhaps she had inadvertently forgotten bits of procedure or she has made some mistakes. "There were those dark moments where I thought perhaps has she inadvertently caused harm because she was so newly qualified in such a high pressure environment and perhaps that's why she was being targeted for these accusations. "Shortly after this she was held in custody, so I don't think she has seen these [photographs]." Lucy Letby cops arrest 3 senior members of leadership team at hospital where killer nurse murdered 7 babies Dawn added: "'I sat there dumbfounded for a while, not really knowing how to process what I was hearing. "I didn't think it was real. I immediately switched to thinking what happens next? This can't be it, she can't just spend the rest of her life in prison. "I'm living a life that Lucy should be living beside me." Between 2015 and 2016 nearly three times as many new-born babies died at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where Letby worked, than normal. 7 7 The killer nurse, 35, was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more, she is currently serving 15 life sentences. Some of the 35-year-old killers colleagues still struggle to accept that Letby committed the crimes. Karen Rees former head of urgent care nursing at the hospital also spoke in the documentary. She said: "I loved working here. "We were all shocked, really shocked, when I look back to when it all started, I don't think any of us thought that this storyline would ride out the way it has." Thinking back, she added: "I was made aware that the mortality rates appeared to be higher than they had been in the previous years. "It was tough because everyone was trying, thinking please let us find a reason for this." During her trial Letby was accused of being cold and unfeeling but Ms Rees said the convicted murderer was actually devastated by the accusations. Ms Rees was responsible for breaking the news to Letby that she was being removed from her role caring for new-borns. Letby was moved to an out-of-the-way desk job in a humiliating move for the nurse. According to Ms Rees Letby had to tell colleagues that this was her choice. Rees said: "I was told just to say that concerns had been raised, and that this was seen as a neutral act. "She was not being accused of anything at this point. But it seemed safer to take her off clinical practice to protect herself as well as babies on that neonatal unit." 7 7 Letby didn't even question the decision as she was marched away from the unit where she worked. Ms Rees said Letby was just looking at her, in shock over the allegations levelled against her. She went on to say that Letby cried a lot later on and, after police became involved, was prescribed antidepressants. These are often known to supress moods and emotions and Letby told her trial in May 2023 that she was still taking them. She also claimed that she had considered suicide at the time she was removed from the job she trained for. Ms Rees claims in the documentary that she never asked Letby if she ever purposefully harmed anyone. She goes on to say that she didn't ask because she never thought Letby had intentionally harmed anyone. Ms Rees said: "I didn't, I don't believe it." Rees' revelations are just a few of many dramatic moments set to be seen in the documentary Lucy Letby: Beyond Reasonable Doubt? tonight on ITV. Letby's new barrister Mark McDonald admits to camera that, despite the involvement of some of the most distinguished doctors in the world, who say no crime was committed, an appeal may yet be refused on a technicality. According to the barrister the objections to the guilty verdict could have been raised at the original trial, so it may be claimed that it was not the court's fault that things went wrong.
Auto Express
13 minutes ago
- Auto Express
How green is an EV? BMW reveals the surprise truth about EV vs ICE carbon footprints
Think the fuss over carbon footprints is a load of hot air? Tell that to BMW, which claims to have slashed the environmental impact of producing its all-new iX3 electric SUV by more than one-third. Despite manufacturing electric cars being more energy intensive than making ICE cars, BMW calculates the iX3 will break even with its X3 petrol equivalent after just 12,428 miles (20,000km) of driving. That means the average UK driver covering 7,000 miles a year will have paid off an iX3's embedded carbon debt in less than two years. And they'll have enjoyed every mile, if their experience lives up to our prototype drive. Advertisement - Article continues below The roll-out of BMW's 'Neue Klasse' vehicles, starting with the iX3 that arrives in the UK in March 2026, will trigger the reduced environmental impact. It's the result of a forensic approach of using renewable energy in its Hungarian car plant and supplier base, and by incorporating more recycled materials in the car, particularly aluminium, steel and thermoplastic. Producing batteries has a significant carbon cost. But it's a myth that EV batteries aren't recyclable: half of the lithium, cobalt and nickel in the iX3's battery is being used for a second time. Reducing the amount of raw materials needing to be mined, and powering anode and cathode production with green energy, drives down the battery's CO2 footprint by 42 per cent. All these figures, published for the first time today, have been independently verified – and Polestar is coming clean about how green its cars are too. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Fancy a used BMW iX3 ? Check out the Auto Express marketplace for great deals on new and used cars With the Neue Klasse cars, BMW has designed-in carbon-reducing processes on an unprecedented scale. 'In every component, we have to ask: can we get secondary raw materials in there? Can we use renewable energies? It's a total vehicle redesign,' explains Nils Hesse, BMW's vice president for product sustainability. Without this focus, the iX3 50 xDrive's manufacturing footprint would be 21 tonnes-of-CO2-equivalent (tCO2e) per vehicle. Instead it's been slashed to 13.5 tCO2e per vehicle – compared with 9.9 tonnes for a petrol X3 20i xDrive coming out of the factory gate. Advertisement - Article continues below But the iX3's 3.6-tonne greater CO2e debt compared with the petrol-powered X3 is paid off after 20,000km, assuming it's recharged using the typical European Union mix of renewable and carbon energy. Without the Neue Klasse carbon reduction measures, the breakeven point would be at 60,000km (37,284 miles). Run the iX3 and X3 for 200,000km (124,280 miles), and the petrol SUV will rack up a 52.8-tonne carbon footprint, compared with 14.6 tonnes for the EV recharged strictly on green energy, or 23 tonnes on the EU energy mix. That's potentially a 38-tonne advantage – for an iX3 powered by the long range, 108kWh battery. The tipping point for smaller battery cars will be lower. By weight, around one-third of the new iX3 comes from secondary materials, equivalent to around 740 kilograms. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below The wheel carriers and rims are up to four-fifths secondary aluminium, while recycling old fishing nets and ropes contribute 30 per cent of the plastics for the 'frunk', the 58-litre storage area in the iX3's nose. It's not just about making sure the right materials go in, but also making them easier to take out at the end of the iX3's life, to maximise 'circularity'. So the Econeer seat's fleece, glue and the seat textile are all made from the same material, meaning it can all be shredded together when the car is dismantled and sent away for re-use. BMW has also developed a new seat-mounting method and uses fewer components throughout to reduce disassembly time – an important factor to make the secondary-use supply chain economically viable. Advertisement - Article continues below 'The future goal is to establish a material cycle with the car as a resource, so that we can close the loop at the end,' says Nils Hesse. Many companies are now understating their sustainability initiatives, with right-wing political sentiment swinging against environmental action in Europe and the USA. BMW, however, will not be cowed. 'Sustainability is not only important, it's fundamental,' vows Glenn Schmidt, BMW's vice president of global sustainability. 'Sustainability isn't just something we say, we are making BMW sustainable. 'We are committed to being net zero by 2050 and we made the commitment in 2020 that we would conform to the Paris accords.' Schmidt says sustainability is 'something that needs to be embedded into all our activities, into our supply chain and also into our product development'. And crucial to that is measurement. In 2019, BMW calculated its activities generated 150m tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Last year it shrank this to 131 million tCO2e. BMW reckons it's on track to emit 109 million tCO2e in 2030, and the holy grail – its 'net zero' target – is 15 million tonnes per year in 2050. Click here for our list of the electric cars with the longest range ... Find a car with the experts Electric cars driven until they die: the truth about EV range Electric cars driven until they die: the truth about EV range Five EVs under £24k have joined Dacia's Spring on the UK market. How far can you go on a budget? We find out Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra slash electric car prices Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra slash electric car prices Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra aren't waiting around for the government grant by cutting £1,500 from their EV prices New MINI Cooper and MINI Aceman get the monochrome treatment New MINI Cooper and MINI Aceman get the monochrome treatment It's as simple as black and white for new MINI Cooper and MINI Aceman Monochrome
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Lucy Letby seen partying at wedding whilst on bail for baby murders
Newly released images show Lucy Letby smiling and dancing at a friend's wedding whilst she was on bail for the suspected murder of eight babies. The photos were shared by her childhood friend, Dawn Howe, in the ITV documentary 'Lucy Letby: Beyond Reasonable Doubt?', which premiered on Sunday. Howe revealed that Letby, who is currently serving 15 whole-life sentences, had to obtain special police permission to attend the wedding. The images depict the 35-year-old former nurse dressed in a red top and grey skirt at the event. Watch the video in full above.
