The Commerce Commission announced it has closed its investigation into Progressive Enterprises Ltd having found no evidence to support false allegations made under Parliamentary Privilege earlier this year, or in any of the other matters investigated.
Managing Director Dave Chambers said the team was very pleased the matter was finally over and his team could get on with serving customers, bringing Kiwis lower prices and ensuring people could get what they need at this busy time of year.
“The shadow of these false allegations has been distracting but what’s really important is that our team has risen to the challenge and worked hard to win back the confidence of our customers. This company is full of hard working New Zealanders who just want to do the best job they can.”
Chambers said the supermarket negotiated in a competitive environment to bring lower prices to customers, but that it always negotiated in good faith and in a fair and transparent manner. “Overwhelmingly, we have good working relationships with the 4000 suppliers we partner with across New Zealand,” he says.
“Like all businesses, we are constantly evolving and improving. In all of the work we did as a business to respond to the Commission’s investigation, we also saw no evidence at all of what was alleged. If there are improvements that can and should be made as part of this process, then we’ll carefully look at those, particularly if they benefit our customers and our working relationship with suppliers.
Chambers said the organisation was looking forward to the future now that its name had been cleared. “We hope some lessons can be learned about the damage false allegations made under Parliamentary Privilege can cause. It’s not how any New Zealander wants to operate and our door is always open for anyone to discuss issues directly with us.”
