On 9th August 2010 retailers and hawkers observed ‘Day of Retail Democracy’ by organizing sit-in protest across India demanding corporations to quit retail. The all India protest was organized against moves to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in multibrand retail and negotiations for free trade agreements (FTA). They demanded government to immediately implement the parliamentary committee report on retail trading.

In Delhi, hundreds of small retailers and hawkers participated in the sit-in protest held in front of the parliament (at Jantar Mantar).

In July 2010 David Cameron visited India and Government sources told CNBC-TV18 that the UK government is likely to discuss opportunities for its companies in the Indian retail sector that is on the verge of being opened for foreign participation. Please read more here.

County Kilkenny has a population of 78,000 people. The County City is Kilkenny City, a medieval city, which celebrated 400 years as a chartered city in 2009. It has a population of 26,000 people and its main streets staill retain local butchers, bakers and independent family owned retailers. It is also the heart of a strong rural hinterland, where artisan food producers and dairy farming do well on rich agricultural land.

In 2007, a proposed Tesco store for the town of Callan, was opposed by one member of Kilkenny County Council as well as a number of concerned citizens due to the potential effect it would have had on Callan’s small independent shops, butchers and a family owned craft bakery. The local Callan Cooperative store was also the centre of activity for the local farming community. The council failed to pass a contravention of the county development plan by a two thirds majority to allow the store site to be rezoned. It subsequently got its zoning designation but the planning application was refused by the state planning board (An Bord Pleanala) on the same grounds as our objections, the potential effect it would have had on local shops. In 2010 the application is back again following support by 25 of 26 councillors.

Tesco also plan to build a supermarket in Kilkenny but this was also refused. This process is stalled due to the economic crash in Ireland. The majority of public opinion is firmly in favour of Tesco and believe that Kilkenny is deprived being the only county in Ireland without a Tesco presence! We believe this will give our farming community and local retailers a distinct advantage but we need to get our message out clearly, articulately and quickly. We have a great opportunity to showcase the county and city as a sustainable alternative to the over exploitation by retail multiples in other counties. We are slowly watching county towns around us die, due to the excesses of out of town retail. The Irish Farmers Association are very vocal as to the damage Tesco are doing and this is finally bringing balance to the debate.

NGO Nesehnuti has launched a new campaign to regulate expansion of supermarkets in the Czech Republic. They are trying to influence city planning and zoning and so help to reduce supermarket expansion and its negative impacts. The organisation is also concerned about supermarket and hypermarket power and is raising awareness and trying to encourage, help and assist citizens and local initiatives around Czech Republic in their local resistance to supermarket expansion. We help citizens to participate in decision-making processes on the building of super and hyper-markets, organize public meetings and protests, publish information materials and take part in decison-making on building of new supermarkets. The organisation has a huge database of newspaper articles concerning this issue at  http://registr.hyper.cz/ , so active citizens can use it to inform themselves and develop their arguments.  Please also see http://www.hyper.cz/new/index.php.

In 2004 the Agribusiness Action Initiatives (AAI) launched an EU-wide campaign to raise awareness of the unchecked growth of supermarket power causing negative impacts for independent businesses, farmers, workers, the environment and diversity of choice for consumers and calling for new rules to be introduced to curb supermarket power across Europe. AAI is a wide-ranging alliance of civil society organisations representing farming, development, labour and, environmental issues.

In 2007, the group produced an EU Retail Briefing for MEPs on the issue. In October 2007, a Written Declaration was tabled at the European Parliament by MEPs Caroline Lucas, Gyula Hegyi, Janusz Wojciechowski, Harlem Désir and Hélène Flautre. The Declaration called on DG Competition to investigate the impacts of the concentration of the EU supermarket sector and to suggest remedies if it finds this appropriate. By January 2008 over 50% of MEPs - an astonishing 439 -signed the Declaration and this triggered a debate in Parliament on the issue and DG Competition was obliged to formally respond.

In 2009 the group published a 40 page report "The Abuse of Supermarket Retail Power in the EU Food Retail Sector" and in 2010 commissioned a report by Professor Roger Clarke - A Review of Recommendations and Remedies to Address Supermarket Buyer Power in the EU

Various Directorates within the Commission have launched inquiries and a new stakeholder forum was announced in July 2010 to look at supplier/ retail relations.

Wal-Mart in Mexico in huge. There are more than 900 stores and about 145,000 direct employees. It is the largest employer in Mexico.  Two-thirds of all money spent in supermarkets in Mexico is spent in Wal-Mart stores. Wal-Mart began investing in Mexico in 1991 but only took over a supermarket chain in 1996 and only began trading as Wal-Mart in 2000. Since 2002 the growth has been non-stop. It is opening a new store every week in Mexico.

Global Exchange launched a campaign in Mexico against Wal-Mart in 2006, organising a conference to bring together individual groups already campaigning against the retailer. The aim was to organise and launch a co-ordinated campaign.  The campaign has included rallies at the Wal- Mart AGM and has generated a lot of media coverage. For examples of media articles, videos of the rallies and other research information please visit http://wal-mart-no.blogspot.com/

In 2007 a campaign with the banner " Supermercados, no gracias" (Supermarkets, no thanks”) was launched in Spain. The campaign brought together farmer and consumer organisations, NGOs, fair-trade groups and environmentalists to oppose the modern model of distribution, that puts the rules of the market before the needs of the people and the environment. 
 

In Australia, there is a duopoly between two companies, Woolworths and Coles, who between them own 80% of the retail grocery market, and have recently moved into the petrol and alcohol sectors as well. Campaigners feel that the economic and social structure of small Australian towns is being eroded as small shops and suppliers are squeezed.