Every industry has winners and losers, but there are those who believe that smaller retailers are disadvantaged by larger chains that abuse their power. There might be some truth to this, but it’s a good time to look closely at such an argument. Independent grocers have been feeling the financial squeeze of the anticompetitive tactics of Big Grocery for years. However, as the rhetoric has been ratcheted up in the long-running battle, the questions become whether independent grocery can win, what would winning look like, and who is the real enemy?

Big Grocery employs anticompetitive tactics to demand unfair terms from suppliers, which in turn disadvantages independent grocers. However, there’s another side to the coin. Big Grocery also has a good story to tell about access to affordable food, job creation and career opportunities, social justice initiatives, and sustainability.