The pricing row between Mars and German supermarket chain Edeka has ended.
The retailer’s unhappiness with Mars’ attempt to hike prices has seen the US giant’s products missing from Edeka’s shelves for some 18 months but now the two parties have reached an accord.
Edeka confirmed this in a statement sent to Just Food but did not provide the details of that agreement and whether Mars has cut prices.
It said: “We look forward to being able to offer our customers Mars articles again soon. The order and delivery times have already been defined for all categories. We are starting with the chewing gum category, which can already be ordered. The other categories will follow gradually. The whole process may take a few more weeks.”
Mars also confirmed to Just Food that a deal had been struck with Edeka.
A spokesperson said: “We can confirm an agreement with Edeka. Our priority remains to work successfully and in cooperation with all of our retail partners. We are pleased that our much-loved Mars brands and high-quality products will be back again on shelves at Edeka.”
The spat was one of a number of fallouts between European supermarkets and food and beverage heavyweights over pricing, including a dispute between chocolate maker Mondelez International and Belgian food retailer Colruyt which was resolved.
The manufacturers insisted that they were trying to recover inflationary costs in their supply chains but the supermarket groups were unwilling to implement the hikes.
Last June, Edeka told Just Food Mars and PesiCo’s products were unavailable at some of its stores due to a “unilateral supply stop” from the manufacturers.
Edeka said at the time: “This issue is due to the demand of unjustified and exaggerated price increases by some international brands. In times of economic uncertainties as well as rising inflation rates, these unreasonable demands are incompatible with the interests of our customers.”
German media outlet Lebensmittel Praxis said today (6 February) Edeka is still in price discussions with other brand manufacturers.
The publication said that, in total, around half of the approximately 400 products from Mars are to be back in the range.
It also reported that Edeka had announced that lower prices and improved conditions had been agreed with Mars.
Earlier this year, Carrefour delisted PepsiCo products in five European countries amid a dispute over prices.
The retailer is no longer selling PepsiCo SKUs in France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Poland.
The France-headquartered giant put up banners in the outlets saying “we no longer sell this brand due to an unacceptable price increase”.
In a statement, PepsiCo said: “We’ve been in discussion with Carrefour for many months and we will continue to engage in good faith in order to try to ensure that our products are available.”
