Britain: Politics & Prices

The onslaught of the discounters began to demolish U.S. Fair Trade laws in 1958. France outlawed price fixing ten years ago, and in Italy there are as many prices for most items as there are stores selling them. Only three diehards in Western Europe still have Fair Trade laws—Switzerland, The Netherlands and Great Britain. Last week the death knell of Fair Trade sounded in Britain, giving British consumers the liveliest field day they have enjoyed in decades.

Price Cutting. Caught in a frenzy for bargains, British retailers slashed prices on a wide range of goods. Some supermarkets cut the price...

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