Fight against inflation. Carrefour has made it its watchword. And by removing from its shelves the brands Pepsi, 7up, Lipton, Bénénuts, Doritos, Lay’s, and even Alvalle, the mass distribution brand is walking its talk. This Thursday, December 4, posters informing consumers of the delisting of items supplied by the agro-industrial PepsiCo France appeared in all of the group’s stores.
“We no longer sell this brand due to unacceptable price increases. We apologize for the inconvenience caused.” A message punctuated by the slogan: “Carrefour, committed to lowering prices.”
Leclerc “attempted” to follow the initiative
Among the bosses of large retail chains, some were not indifferent to the initiative. Even more so when multinationals ask for “(price) increases of 6 to 10% on average”, as Michel-Édouard Leclerc lamented at the microphone of FranceInfo this Thursday morning.
The president of the strategic committee of the centers Edouard Leclerc admitted having been “tempted” to apply the same sentence to products from the PepsiCo France brand, although it is “never a winning game”. “Consumers don’t want to pay a lot, but if they don’t have their product [en rayon, NDLR]they go to competitors,” he argued.
One reason why Leclerc is banking on a “less brutal” strategy: the “increase in volume” achieved by the brand this year allows it to say to companies, “it is with us that you will be able to rebuild yourself, and rebuild volume”, indicated its manager.
While large retailers are trying to put pressure on brands to lower their prices, Michel-Édouard Leclerc and the boss of Système U Dominique Schelcher regret the delay in the negotiations, brought forward by a few weeks by the government. Any contract between the industrialist and the distributor must be signed before January 31, i.e. one month earlier than usual.
Towards a drying up of inflation?
Guest on RMC/BFMTV, Dominique Schelcher denounced the “wait-and-see attitude” of certain agro-industrialists who are dragging their feet to settle down at the negotiating table. This is particularly the case for Danone, with whom “the first meetings” have only been set “now”. Nothing surprising in the eyes of the boss of Système U, as “the law under which we are currently discussing is very favorable to industrialists”, who “know it”.
However, some “good news” suggests a slowdown in price increases. Agreements have notably been reached with “Yoplait, Entremont, and an important cooperative in Brittany called Laïta”, welcomes the boss of Système U. Michel-Édouard Leclerc also assured that several products will see their prices drop in the coming years. weeks, particularly those manufactured in “the Indo-Pacific zone” where “prices and charters are falling”.
Generally speaking, the trend towards a slowdown in the rise in food prices is confirmed. According to figures published by INSEE this Thursday, they increased by 7.1% in December over one year compared to 7.7% in November. Conversely, the price of fresh products continues to increase: around 8.8% in December, compared to 6.6% in November.