PRESS DIGEST - British business - April 20 =9

WAITROSE PANS TESCO TOWN RULE

A new planning rule aimed at halting the rise of so-called "Tesco (TSCO.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Towns", where one supermarket chain dominates, has drawn strong criticism from Waitrose.

It argues that setting a cap on local market share at just 60 percent -- a key reform proposed by the Competition Commission following its two-year inquiry into the sector -- would be "wholly ineffective".

In a strongly-worded submission to the CC, Waitrose's managing director Mark Price writes: "It is strange to have picked a threshold that is significantly above any recognised 'rule of thumb' level at which not just market power but dominance might be presumed -- such a presumption could begin at around 40 percent." Prepared for Reuters by Durrants ($1=.5010 Pound)