European Commission workshop confirms positive effect of Retail Alliances for consumers and no negative impact on SMEs and farmers

At the Commission’s workshop on Retail Alliances on 11 December 2025, key findings of the 2020 JRC report were reconfirmed: No evidence of negative impacts on SMEs or farmers, and clear consumer benefits. New evidence highlights the crucial role of European and national alliances and groups of independent retailers in ensuring competition, choice and market diversity fully consistent with the 2023 EU Horizontal Guidelines and the 2020 JRC report.