In social media, it is currently disseminated that all customers should boycott the big food giants during week 12. Now the chains respond to customers’ criticism about the high food prices.
At Tiktok, customers have in recent weeks encouraged each other to boycott the grocery stores during week 12. The reason behind the boycott is that they want to get the grocery stores to lower their food prices, as they have increased significantly in recent years.
The grocery stores customers will boycott week 12
During the boycott week 12, customers are encouraged to boycott the big food chains and instead support their local stores.
The big food chains in Sweden are ICA and Coop. But also Hemköp and Willys, both owned by Axfood.
Eva Ossiansson, Brand researcher at the University of Gothenburg, believes that a week’s boycott of the grocery stores can be a little too short for prices to be lowered, but at the same time think that there is a clear mark against the food chains.
– It will be a form of “statement” and what could possibly happen is that some player in the grocery industry itself takes the initiative and starts lowering food prices, says Eva Ossiansson to SVT News.
Read more: Customers’ call: Boycott grocery stores week 12
The food chains respond to the criticism
News24 Have been in contact with Coop, ICA and Axfood to find out how a possible boycott week 12 would hit their business.
Coop’s press spokesman Håkan Andersson Understand that many households today are hard pressed because of food prices, but believe that the grocery stores are last in the lead of a long chain and that they do their utmost to have reasonable prices.
– When it comes to a possible boycott week 12, many households today are pressured and we understand that many people feel anxious and frustration. Coop works hard to withstand the price increases and in 2023 our more than four million members received SEK 1.8 billion in the form of the best price for a member, member bonus and other membership offers, he tells News24 and continues:
– The grocery store is the last step in a long chain before the food reaches the consumer and we do everything to ensure that our members and customers have reasonable prices. In principle, price development is completely controlled by factors beyond the control of stores – such as global crises, commodity prices, extreme weather, transport costs and a weak krona.
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Negotiating food prices with suppliers
Also Axfood’s press manager Magnus Törnblom Understands the frustration that many customers feel about the high food prices and the pressured situation that is currently in society.
– What I can say is that I can understand the frustration many can feel increased costs and a strained economy, since not only food prices have risen, but at the same time costs increased a lot for rents, loans, electricity and much more throughout society, Törnblom tells News24.
However, he would like to point out that the increased food prices we see in Sweden do not differ from the rest of Europe or our neighboring countries.
– The fact is that food price inflation in Denmark and Norway at the beginning of this year has been twice as high as in Sweden, and that Swedish food prices are the lowest in the Nordic countries, even though we had a weak currency.
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Raised food prices – a consequence of external factors
He believes that prices you see in their stores are a consequence of external factors except the control of the food industry.
– What we can do from our direction is to negotiate with our suppliers about as good prices as possible, and every day continue to work to offer consumers as affordable, good and sustainable products as possible in our chains. The fact that more and more people are choosing to shop with us, where, for example, Willys offers Sweden’s cheapest food bag, we see as a receipt that it is actually something consumers appreciate. We will continue to drive this work, says Magnus Törnblom to News24.
When News24 comes into contact with ICA’s press service, they refer to their industry organization Svensk Grocery.
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