Leclerc, Système U, Lidl and now Intermarché. The French brand has joined the campaign that could give supermarkets the right to market self-tests. In an interview with Le Parisien and published Friday, December 24, Vincent Bronsard, president of Intermarché and Netto, estimated that his group, with “more than 10,000 points of sale”, could “play a major role in the health protection of French”.
The owner of the brand recalls that in many neighboring countries (Germany, Portugal, Belgium), self-tests are freely accessible in supermarkets. In France, the government has, for the moment, always refused to take such a decision. Only pharmacies are authorized to sell these self-administered nasal swab tests.
Out of stock in pharmacies
In view of the worrying health situation, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, has considered “facilitating” access to self-tests and suggests a possibility that the latter will be marketed in supermarkets, in particular for the end of year celebrations. . This measure could be taken more quickly than expected, given the stock-outs of self-tests in pharmacies.
Vincent Bronsard also told the Parisian that he was ready in the event of authorization to provide “three million self-tests” in a week. Tests sold “less than 2 euros” per unit.
>> To read also – Covid-19: self-tests soon to be reimbursed for vaccinated people?
Other brands have positioned themselves on the issue of marketing. Dominique Schelcher, president of Système U, said this Friday on Twitter the refusal to authorize the sale of self-tests “incomprehensible”. As for Michel-Edouard Leclerc, boss of the E.Leclerc group, he, for his part, denounced Thursday, on Franceinfo “a silly quarrel” between pharmacists and large distribution.
Receive our latest news
Each morning, the essentials of CAPITAL news.