ASDA Takes UK RPM Battle To EU

The UK supermarket group ASDA says it intends to take its campaign to get Resale Price Maintenance abolished on over-the-counter medicines to the European Commission. Last October, ASDA cut the prices of a range of vitamin and mineral supplements by up to 20% (Marketletter October 23, 1995).

The Office of Fair Trading then said it would conduct an investigation to ascertain if there had been any material change in circumstances since the 1970 Resale Prices Act abolished RPM on all products except for medicines and books. However, the OFT told the Marketletter last week that "the best date" it could give for publishing the findings of its investigation was mid-September.