Intended to preserve the purchasing power of the French in the face of soaring prices on the shelves, the “anti-inflation quarter” officially begins this Wednesday. Described in broad outline by the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, at the beginning of the month, the device intends to offer consumers a list of everyday products sold at the “lowest possible” prices. Then it’s up to the distributors to select the items that will benefit from it. Most brands have joined the initiative, while others – like System U – have preferred to take the lead, offering reduced prices on a range of products from February.
It is therefore in this context that Vincent Doumerc, Managing Director of Franprix, announced exclusively in France moves on Europe 1 the blocking of prices on “a list of 60 products” in all of the brand’s stores. These items will be offered “at unbeatable prices” and will be “blocked for three months”. And Vincent Doumerc to specify at the microphone of Élisbeth Assayag the content of the device: “When I say unbeatable, it means that we are going to be cheaper than the cheapest distributor in France that I will not mention (Leclerc, Editor’s note)” , he says.
“A kilo of pasta for 1.20 euros”
A list drawn up “with care” so that “each consumer can compose his weekly basket”. The Franprix store manager insists on the heterogeneity of the products on offer. “There are products for breakfast, products for meals, fresh and balanced products. We have covered the entire spectrum of consumption,” he promises.
At the microphone of Europe 1, Vincent Doumerc then gives several concrete examples. “This will allow us to offer a kilo of pasta for 1.20 euros. Or to make a quiche for six people with less than 1 euro per person. It’s concrete. We wanted to do something quite simple,” he says.
Fixed prices that can also be found in most supermarkets in France, with the notable exception of Leclerc stores. Their president, Michel-Édouard Leclerc, was also absent from the press conference given by Bruno Le Maire two weeks ago, and had declared on BFMTV, on March 5, that his group did not “need” this type of operation. “I did not wait for a public meeting to be cheaper,” he also assured.