Will a £15bn deal be the right price for shoppers?

The proposed £15billion merger between Sainsbury’s and Asda is meant to be good news for consumers but it will be alarming for manufacturers and farmers.

I had the stressful job of dealing with the major supermarkets in the 1970s and 1980s when they demanded unreasonable price cuts for supplies, with the threat of ‘delisting’ certain products.

This often caused great concern among suppliers operating with tight margins.

The only course open to the somewhat defenceless producers was to agree to resist such demands, which, of course, was a desperate gamble.

While I am not suggesting farmers and processors get together, they should remember that retailers need the products just as much as the seller needs to sell them.

If suppliers were strong enough and brave enough, it would surprise them how supermarkets running short of supplies would be less aggressive.

Consumers can also play their part when they realise that the drop in prices is short-lived.

Customers can always stop buying or switch to more priceconscious retailers. C. Wilson, Suffolk I never shop at Asda or Sainsbury’s. I don’t shop at places such as Waitrose either, or even online. For me, the only places to go are Lidl and Aldi, as the quality is good and, as far as I’ve seen, there’s no shrinkflation.

Shops like Aldi and Lidl have stolen a march on their bigger rivals.

But this merger could mean a lot of people will lose their jobs – not just in supermarkets and warehouses but in head offices as well. I feel very sorry for those people. V. de Bheal, London To me, Asda is similar to Lidl and Aldi because their prices are good. So, from this merger, I would like to see the combined stores be more like Asda than Sainsbury’s. That would be good value for money for consumers. N. Higham, London I will still be a loyal Aldi and Lidl customer after this proposed merger of Sainsbury’s and Asda. I have shopped at Lidl and Aldi from the very beginning, when people were sceptical about their products.

These chains don’t need special promotions but just give good value for money instead. My only gripe is they are becoming so popular, I often struggle to find a parking space. P. Pawley, Derby The so-called savings will see an item reduced by perhaps 25p one week and then increased by 50p a few weeks later, thus maintaining the overall profit margin. If they really want to compete, the long-established chains should stop being so greedy. D. Harris, Fareham, Hampshire I cannot believe this mega-deal will get through the competition authorities. A. Sexton, Surrey