BOSSES at some of the country's biggest retailers have warned that a Yes vote in the independence referendum will lead to higher prices at the tills.

Asda's chief executive Andy Clarke said yesterday that his company benefitted from "major efficiencies and economies of scale" by being part of the United Kingdom. He added that these would be diluted if the firm had to set up a separate business in Scotland, which has 61 Asda shops and depots.

"If we were no longer to operate in one state with one market and - broadly - one set of rules, our business model would inevitably become more complex," he said. "We would have to reflect our cost to operate here."

"This is not an argument for or against independence, it is simply an honest recognition of the costs that change could bring. For us the customer is always right and this important decision is in their hands."

The chairman of John Lewis, Sir Charlie Mayfield, said his firm would probably start to price in the additional cost of transporting goods to Scotland if it split from the rest of the UK.

"[A Yes vote] would raise ­business risk that would affect our business, and I think most other retailers have said the same," he told the BBC.

Jackie Baillie, a Labour MSP and Better Together supporter, said: "The cost of doing business here is higher than the rest of the UK, but because we pool and share resources that keeps costs down. If we vote for separation then we are voting for higher shopping prices."

Finance Secretary John ­Swinney said: "Charlie Mayfield is entitled to his opinion. I think the argument is one that is firmly contested by other retailers who do not take the view that has been expressed this morning by Charlie Mayfield."

Other retailers said there were too many uncertainties to properly forecast prices. Wm Morrison chief executive Dalton Philips said yesterday that he intended to keep prices the same in all of his shops, but added: "I could also say it would lower prices as well. It depends on what policies the Scottish Government implements."

Simon Wolfson, the chief executive of Next, said he was worried about the economic effects of independence but that his business would not be affected immediately in the event of a Yes vote.