Promotions: the CEO of Carrefour requests a moratorium on a law governing them

The CEO of Carrefour Alexandre Bompard plans to ask the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire this Wednesday for “a one-year moratorium” on the application of the Descrozaille law, which governs the promotions of certain products and must come into force in March 2024, he announced on France Info on Tuesday.

Bruno Le Maire and the Minister Delegate for Trade Olivia Grégoire summoned representatives of large retailers on Wednesday morning, and those of their agro-industry suppliers on Thursday, while prices remain very high on the shelves of supermarkets.

“Forced to be limited to 34%” of promotion

On France Info, Alexandre Bompard, who officially became president of the employers’ federation of large retailers (FCD) on Monday, explained that “the application of the Descrozaille law” passed last March “leads (distributors) to have to limit promotions in the drugstore, for care and hygiene products at 34%”.

“Today, I can sell laundry at 50 or 60% discount,” he explained. But from the application of this “bad law” as he describes it, Carrefour like the other distributors will be “forced to limit themselves to 34%”.

Alexandre Bompard deplored that consumers, hit by inflation, are depriving themselves of “essential” products such as “feminine protection, diapers, toothpaste” which show sales declines “in double digits”. The provision “benefits only three major global multinationals,” said the CEO, who cited Procter & Gamble, Henkel and Unilever, which share most of the market.

The government wants to convince the industrialists

The business leader has also taken up his pen to try to convince the presidents of parliamentary groups of the need for such a moratorium.

A few months after the government’s promise of a “visible drop in food prices” at the start of the school year, the bill remains painful for consumers. Food prices rose 12.7% in July year on year.

The government plans to ask to “expand to a greater number of products” the promotional operations, and hopes to convince more industrialists to commit to a “lower price”. Otherwise, “we are entering the budget period”, expected at the end of September, “we have instruments at our disposal so that everyone can play the game”, warned Bruno Le Maire on Monday.