Carrefour, the supermarket chain, has ceased selling popular Pepsico brands, including Doritos and Pepsi, at its stores in France, Belgium, Italy, and Spain amid an ongoing dispute over price increases. Shelves in Carrefour’s French stores now display tags explaining the removal of Pepsico products due to “unacceptable price increases.”
This decision affects consumers in multiple countries, where iconic products like Lay’s potato chips, Lipton tea, Quaker Cereals, and 7Up are no longer available alongside other Pepsico brands.
The dispute is part of the annual negotiations between French retailers and major food industry firms concerning pricing and other conditions for sales in supermarkets. Carrefour’s move reflects the pressure faced by retailers to raise prices, with Pepsi’s rival, Coca-Cola, announcing its intention to increase prices by an average of 7 percent in November.
PepsiCo, acknowledging the discussions with Carrefour, expressed a commitment to engaging in good faith to resolve the situation. The decision comes amid a backdrop of food price inflation in Europe, with the cost of France’s reference shopping basket surging by 20 percent in two years. As consumers grapple with rising costs, many are opting for lower-priced supermarket brands.
While Michel-Edouard Leclerc, the head of rival French supermarket chain E. Leclerc, acknowledged the challenges in negotiations with food giants, he emphasized that discontinuing brand-name products is not a satisfactory solution, as consumers may seek alternatives from competitors if their preferred products are unavailable.
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