French grocery major Le Groupement Mousquetaires has criticised Mars’ move to stop deliveries to its stores amid a dispute over price.
Le Groupement Mousquetaires, the French retailer behind the Intermarché and Netto chains, said the US food giant’s move “goes against the very principle of commercial negotiations”.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The grocer has displayed posters in stores labelled Mars attaque to inform customers of the Twix maker’s request for an “unjustified” price hike. It has also made similar posts on social media.
Just Food has contacted Mars for comment. The two sides remain in talks, which are set to end on 1 March.
At the start of each year, France’s major retailers and FMCG manufacturers hold negotiations to agree on the prices of products sold in stores.
In a statement sent to Just Food, Le Groupement Mousquetaires said: “While commercial negotiations are still ongoing, Le Groupement Mousquetaires regrets the strategy adopted by Mars to impose unjustified price increases that are unrelated to market reality.
“By stopping deliveries, this approach – which is aimed at unilaterally imposing 100% of the requested price increase – goes against the very principle of commercial negotiation.”
The retailer said a fifth of French households “are now struggling to make ends meet” and added: “The group remains convinced that a reasonable pricing approach will make it possible to find a favourable outcome to these negotiations.”
