No more Pepsi soda or Lay’s chips on the shelves of Carrefour stores from Thursday January 4, the distributor announced the same day. Instead, the customer should see a sign appear on the shelves specifying: “We no longer sell this brand due to unacceptable price increases. » The brand has therefore chosen to publicize the showdown between it and the American group PepsiCo in setting prices for 2024.
This is not the first time that a distribution group has boycotted a brand in its stores to put pressure on consumer goods manufacturers. E.Leclerc is accustomed to this fact. We remember the threats to remove Coca-Cola from its shelves in 2018. Then the disappearance of alcohol from the Pernod Ricard group in 2019 and, temporarily, in the summer of 2023. As for the Mousquetaires group, it had delisted the waters of Danone, Evian, Volvic and Badoit, in fall 2022.
Each time, these strong tensions occur at the time when manufacturers and distributors clash during annual commercial negotiations, at the end of which the prices of branded products are set. However, we are currently entering the home stretch of these discussions for 2024. And the atmosphere is tense. Especially since this year, the government has decided to move the clocks forward. Brands must have signed contracts with suppliers whose turnover is less than 350 million euros before January 15 and with multinationals by January 31 at the latest.
“Pockets of decline”
The boss of Système U, Dominique Schelcher deplored, Wednesday January 3, on France Inter, “a little wait-and-see” in the start of these discussions on the part of certain agri-food groups, mentioning Danone, even if he was pleased to have already concluded with Yoplait and Entremont, of the Sodiaal group, and with the Laïta cooperative.
He estimated that the prices of dairy products would further increase slightly and that, despite “drop pockets” on products based on wheat, oil or coffee, food prices would continue to increase in 2024. They jumped 20.6% in two years, according to data published at the end of December 2023 by panelist Circana .
Not sure, therefore, that the objective set by the Ministry of the Economy, to trigger a reduction in food prices in supermarkets by legislating on an advancement of the timetable for trade negotiations, will be achieved.
You have 20% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.