Following an interview with Bruno Le Maire in Bercy, this Tuesday, September 19, the main mass retail brands made a decision: they will not resell their fuel at a loss in the gas stations in their stores. The giants of the sector prefer to rely on selling at cost, as our colleagues from Le Figaro reveal.
To justify their decision, contrary to the economic climate unfavorable to consumers, Carrefour, Système U, Leclerc, Intermarché, and even Auchan, considered that “the possibility of selling at a loss”, proposed as a solution by the government on Saturday September 16, “ will not be followed because it is not economically tenable”. This “new tool”, presented by Élisabeth Borne, was to allow them to sell their fuel at a loss via a law for six months – starting in December – in order to lower prices for consumers, without any further discount. the executive.
At the same time, if the brands will be “discreet” about their choice not to activate this lever made available to them to compensate for the rise in prices and help households, underlines Le Figaro, they are counting on the support of the government to do so. advance other files. And in particular the annual negotiations with their suppliers, which could lead to concrete price reductions on the shelves. A file that Bercy is following with great interest, our colleagues remind us. A stagnant and thorny situation for the majority, on which distributors struggle to agree.
