Amazon has been ranked as the worst performing food retailer for the third consecutive year in the UK grocery regulator's annual supplier compliance survey, despite showing some improvement from 2024.

The Groceries Code Adjudicator's 2025 survey found that only 66.4 per cent of respondents supplying Amazon believed the company "consistently" or "mostly" complied with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice.

While this represented an improvement from 47 per cent in 2024, Amazon remained in last place among 14 UK food retailers, trailing 24.6 percentage points behind Lidl, which scored 91.1 per cent in 13th place.

Nearly 34 per cent of Amazon suppliers said the company rarely or never complied with the code, compared with fewer than 9 per cent at Lidl and just 2.25 per cent at Waitrose, which topped the rankings with the highest compliance scores.

Amazon suppliers were also more likely to have reported issues in the past year, with 13 per cent having raised problems with the retailer. This is significantly higher than the 3 per cent reported by suppliers to Sainsbury's, the second worst performer on this measure.

The code aims to ensure Britain's grocery retailers, including market leader Tesco, Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer and Ocado, treat suppliers fairly. Amazon has been subject to the regulations since 2022.

Mark White, the adjudicator, said: "I'm pleased that average Code compliance has continued to improve across the sector and it's particularly encouraging that the lowest five performing retailers have improved perceptions of their overall compliance with the Groceries Code."

The overall survey results showed suppliers experienced fewer code issues and improved treatment by retailers for the second year running. Average perceived code compliance rose to 93 per cent in 2025 from 91 per cent in 2024, while the number of suppliers reporting code issues fell to 30 per cent from 33 per cent.

Amazon sells groceries in Britain through its own website, Amazon Fresh convenience stores, and the Whole Foods chain, which it acquired in 2017 for $13.7 billion.

The survey results were published following the GCA's launch of a targeted investigation into Amazon last week over suspected breaches of supplier payment rules. The regulator said it had "reasonable grounds" to suspect Amazon had breached paragraph 5 of the code, which mandates no delays in payments to suppliers.

White said: "Delays in payment can significantly harm suppliers. The alleged delays could expose Amazon suppliers to excessive risk and unexpected costs, potentially affecting their ability to invest and innovate."

An Amazon spokesperson said the company was pleased the survey results reflected improvements it was making. "We know from listening to our grocery suppliers that these changes, including to dispute resolution, payment practices and dedicated account management support, are making a positive difference," the spokesperson said, adding "we know there is much more to do".

The GCA has statutory powers to fine companies up to 1 per cent of their UK grocery turnover if breaches are proven. The investigation will focus on the period since 1 January 2024, with the regulator calling for supplier evidence by 8 August.

---