The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has called for submissions on the proposed takeover, flagging concern the move could "substantially lessen competition" in the area.

It comes six years after Coles took over three Supabarn stores in a controversial move which also drew attention from the competition regulator.

The peak body for independent grocers said the first preference was always for those stores to remain independent when sold.

"That being said, MGA recognises the commercial reality in that it is the individual store owners right to sell their business in a manner of their choosing," Masters Grocers Association chief executive David Inall said in a statement.

Mr Inall said the body was concerned the proposed acquisition would substantially lessen competition in the area.

"Independent supermarkets give local fresh and manufactured food and liquor producers (wine predominately) as well as artisan food merchants an avenue to distribute their products to the local communities in which they trade," Mr Inall said.

"This is a clear and distinct difference from the supermarket chains who focus on providing their customers with a lesser range of food and grocery products, with a heavier emphasis on their own house brands and minimal stocking of locally produced products."

The Canberra Times spoke to three of Canberra's prominent local grocers about their fight to stay competitive.

Manuel Xyrakis has been watching the industry change since he was an eight year old, peering over the counter at his parents' Ainslie supermarket.

Now with the IGA group, the Xyrakis family's store has reached cult status in Canberra, known for its expansive range of cheeses and deli products made in-house.

Competing with the supermarket chains is not easy, but it comes down to carving out a niche.

"You listen to what your customers need," Mr Xyrakis said.

"I've always told people in other shops, 'You know, anybody can buy Nescafe or a packet of cornflakes anywhere'. If you want people to come into your shop, you have to be different, you have to have a point of difference."

It is why the store employs three full-time butchers and a meat packer, who marinate the meat and prepare the sausages themselves, and in the deli, staff make dips, peel potatoes and cook pizzas.

But even as the store approaches its 60th anniversary in May, Mr Xyrakis does still feel the squeeze when a chain snaps up another independent store.

He was supportive of a policy introduced under former ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, which locked Woolworths, Coles and Metcash (the wholesaler for IGA stores) out of certain areas deemed to have capacity for only one supermarket.

That policy was dumped in 2013 by Andrew Barr as the ACT Treasurer, who said the government would take a more hands-off approach but denied the policy had failed.

"There's just no control, it's going out of control," Mr Xyrakis said, as Woolworths, Coles and Aldi continue to increase their presence in the capital.

"Now what you see as soon as a new shopping centre opens up, or something opens up, bang straight away, Woolworths and Coles go in there and bid for it," he said.

"And it does make it harder on the smaller operators, the family businesses."

Sisters Veronica and Katherine Olmos have brought their personal touch to the city supermarket they have been running together since August 2021.

While Katherine made sure her favourite type of red licorice was within reach, Veronica stocked shelves with her gluten-free products.

"Before we opened, we did so much homework and we took photos of all the products that we wanted, just all the favourite things that we would go to different supermarkets to have," Katherine said.

"Licorice or just little things that you love and [think] 'If I had a supermarket, I'm selling it.'"

When their customers told them they would appreciate plant-based products, they listened, and when they kept their store and cafe open over the long weekend, visitors were overjoyed.

"We're community focused as well, so I think about if I wake up in the morning and I'm used to buying a coffee every day, I want my customer to know that they can rely on us," Veronica said.

The sisters grew up in a supermarket, before they moved into the world of convenience stores.

Competition with the larger supermarkets feels further off for the Olmos', who are able to leverage their location in Canberra's CBD to appeal to idle office workers.

"People have started shopping differently, so before, they used to go and shop in one big lot," Katherine says.

"But now we're seeing customers come three times a day; so they come in, buy a little bit, and then can they come back, buy more."

For more than three years, Ajit Kumar served the Coombs community as the only store to occupy the local shopping centre.

Throughout this time, Mr Kumar built a strong connection with the local community.

"They have been very supportive," he said of his customers.

But Mr Kumar also acknowledges, as a small operator, he has struggled to compete with the chain supermarkets on many fronts.

"Big supermarkets have got competitive advantages; they buy in bulk and obviously they get a cheaper price from suppliers," he said.

"And being a small, independent supermarket, our purchase price is very high, sometimes much more than the selling price of big supermarket."

He stocks his shelves with many South Asian products, but has noticed large supermarkets starting to do the same.

"We try to differentiate by introducing things ... kind of experiment," he said.

"Like we started hot food and we started fresh meats and all those things, but again, some things work, some things didn't work well."

He is watching carefully as chains encroach on smaller operators.

"They can easily buy out small grocers and basically they're killing competition," he said.

"I feel pressure because customers come to us and they ask for competitive prices, which I know and they also know, that we can't do.

"We can't match Coles prices, so it adds lots of pressure, it's not good for anyone in the long run."

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