Major supermarket chain Coles has responded to allegations it is privately urging suppliers to cut costs rather than request price rises, saying it is working hard to deal with the challenges of rising inflation and climbing food prices in a fair manner for both suppliers and customers.
An article in The Australian recently drew attention to claims suppliers have been requesting Coles pay higher prices for their product to help them cover rising costs.
However, in response, suppliers say they have been told by Coles to focus instead on cutting their own costs.
Citing correspondence sent…