Michel-Edouard Leclerc (media president, strategic committee of E. Leclerc centres), estimated that half of the price hikes requested by the food sector “are not transparent” and “are suspect”, and asked Parliament to investigate it.
He estimated that “half of the increases requested by manufacturers in context of renegotiations regarding the price of food products which will then be sold at supermarkets are not transparent and suspect”.
He stated that he would like to see MPs open an inquiry into the causes of inflation and what is happening on price fronts from transport to consumers. He concluded that “many” of the requested increases are speculation or anticipation.
The government was confronted with rising production costs due to the recovery of post-Covid-19 economies as well as war in Ukraine and called for distributors to come back to the table in mid-March in order to review contracts signed after commercial negotiations on March 1.
These contracts set the price for some products that will be sold in supermarkets throughout the year. The first round of negotiations resulted a 3% average increase in prices charged by distributors to manufacturers.
Michel-Edouard Leclerc believes that these renegotiations today “gave rise to overbidding”. “When suppliers come in with their invoices, we ask for transparency. He said that small businesses are often adversely affected by the aluminum and glass prices. “Those smaller than we can discern and accept price increases,” he said.
He also criticized “large international companies” that arrived with transport bills (increases) of 15, 20, 30 percent, in particular because of the 30% increase in container prices. He said this, as “transportation firms are making billions last year.”
Another example is “manufacturers chocolate or cocoa products invoking Ukraine for a 15% tariff hike on chocolate bars and confectionery he said, asking parliamentarians “to ask everyone a bit why they should be able to take part in the increase”.
