- Fear of confinement and uncertainty about the coronavirus have led to increased purchases of essential items in stores.
- The actors of the large distribution assure that there is no risk of food shortage.
- But eating habits would be changed if the crisis continued over time.
This weekend, the shopping bags were perhaps a little more loaded than usual at the time of checkout. While France has become one of the main centers of coronavirus in Europe, with at least 130 confirmed cases including three deaths, and several major sporting or cultural events have been canceled, some consumers have apparently decided to make reservations , in case.
“In our stores, we saw an increase in purchases of basic necessities (bread, pasta, water, etc.) of 30 to 35% on average compared to a traditional weekend. Instead of buying a packet of pasta, consumers have taken two or three, "says 20 Minutes Thierry Desouches, system spokesman U.
Rush on the drive in the Oise
Same observation made by Thierry Cotillard, president of Intermarché and Netto: “there are a few families of products that have been sold (…): pasta and rice. So we can see the mistrust of some consumers who are starting to stock, "he explained last Friday on RTL.
In the Oise, where around fifty people were infected with the coronavirus, the inhabitants rushed to the drive to do their shopping, especially in Compiègne. "In this department, we were able to observe tension points with +150% of purchases on essential products," confirms Thierry Desouches. Some anticipate confinement ”.
"Responsible behaviors"
So, is there a risk of finding empty shelves in the coming weeks? Questioned this Monday morning on France 2, the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, pointed out the essential role of consumers in this specific case: “I took stock yesterday [Sunday] with representatives of large retailers. There will be a shortage only if people do not behave responsibly. So I invite everyone to behave responsibly, not to accumulate stocks of goods ”.
As with petrol or… butter a few years ago, the State seeks to avoid a “self-fulfilling” scenario, where the mere announcement of a risk of shortage would end up creating it. "If everyone started to order suddenly, there could be a problem. But we are still far from it, reassures Thierry Desouches. For the moment, there is no problem as far as supply is concerned, distributors will order more stocks to be able to meet demand. ”
The supply chain in question
"In the food sector, there is no reason why there are shortages on a European scale, since self-sufficiency is almost guaranteed", believes Marc Filser, professor at IAE Dijon and specialist in large distribution. This observation nevertheless calls for several nuances.
The first is that this reasoning only holds if the supply chain is functioning properly. "Large-scale distribution operates mainly on a just-in-time basis, so stocks are not huge," continues Marc Filser. If the coronavirus slowed down activity in important logistics areas, such as the south-east of Paris (with the Rungis market), there could be problems ”.
Habits to change?
Then, the French today consume a lot of imported food, such as fruit and vegetables - 74% of table grapes are imported - or rice (French production covers less than 20% of consumption). A severe restriction on trade with other continents, even other European countries, would not lead to a total shortage of food but would surely force people to change their eating habits.
Last remark: if the economic activity in Asia and in China remained weak because of the coronavirus, certain sectors except food could find themselves in difficulty: “if the crisis continues, the ready-to-wear could have difficulty in receiving its stocks for fall-winter collections, ”notes Marc Filser. Rather than a lack of pasta, France could then lack down jackets.
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