France: the government negotiates an "anti-inflation quarter" with distributors
Consumers shop in a supermarket in Langueux, western France, on January 29, 2022. AFP - DAMIEN MEYER
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Increases of 10% on average in supermarkets were announced last week.
This morning, price reductions on certain products were negotiated between the government and distributors.
An “anti-inflation quarter”,
according to
Bruno Le Maire, since this operation will last three months.
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Small tricolor stickers will be affixed to the products concerned by these price reductions.
It is the supermarkets that make the effort on their margins.
Several hundred million euros, they say.
What products will be affected?
Manuel Bompard, CEO of Carrefour, remains vague.
“
Obviously, this will mainly concern our distributor brands, since it is on our brands that we have the most latitude to, as far as we are concerned, for example, to block prices”, he
explains
.
Anti-inflation basket
The number one European retailer is launching an anti-inflation basket with nearly 200 products concerned.
Each distributor will decide on the product list themselves.
And in three months, a price renegotiation with the agro-industry will be relaunched, because certain raw materials are falling, explains Bruno Le Maire, the Minister of the Economy.
“
The price of maritime freight has fallen from 15,000 euros per container to just over 1,200
euros per container;
sunflower prices are down;
wheat prices are down.
There's no reason why the upside repercussions should happen immediately and the downside impacts shouldn't happen immediately either
,” he said
.
Michel-Édouard Leclerc denounces the “orchestration” side
A communication around this “anti-inflation quarter” in which Michel-Édouard Leclerc, chairman of the Centers Leclerc committee, did not wish to participate.
Without slamming the door in the government's face, he denounces the "orchestration" side of this announcement.
►Also read: Faced with galloping inflation, the European Central Bank is raising its interest rates
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