The Federal Trade Commission has ordered Walmart, Amazon, The Kroger Co. and six other large retailers, wholesalers and consumer goods suppliers to provide detailed information about how they are handling supply chain disruptions. The companies have 45 days to respond.
The probe isn’t a criminal investigation, though the companies are required to respond. Rather, the agency says it wants the information to understand the supply chain problems that are harming the U.S. economy.
Besides merely understanding the situation, the FTC probe will also examine whether supply chain disruptions have led to specific bottlenecks, shortages or anticompetitive practices that contribute to rising consumer prices.
“Supply chain disruptions are upending the provision and delivery of a wide array of goods,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a statement. “I am hopeful the FTC’s new study will shed light on market conditions and business practices that may have worsened these disruptions or led to asymmetric effects.”
Click here to read the rest of the story written by Dees Stribling over at Bis Now
