Amazon UK under investigation for suspected payment delays

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The UK’s grocery watchdog has launched an investigation into whether Amazon has been delaying payments to food suppliers after preliminary “evidence” was brought to its attention.

The Groceries Code Adjudicator, which helps ensure the UK’s largest grocers treat suppliers fairly, said in a statement on Friday “it has reasonable grounds to suspect” Amazon had delayed payments to suppliers between March 2022 and June 2025.

Amazon sells groceries in the UK through its own website and a small chain of Amazon Fresh convenience stores. Since 2022, its grocery arm has faced increased scrutiny in the UK.

It has been required to comply with the UK’s Groceries Supply Code of Practice, a set of guidelines on how retailers should manage supplier relationships, after it surp***ed £1bn in annual grocery sales.

The GCA said it would look into the nature, extent and impact of practices that may have resulted in Amazon delaying payments, and will focus in particular on the period since January 2024 to present.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This is a developing story