For the big brands, the comparison is relatively easy, the products and packaging are the same in all the brands. It gets tougher when you have to compare the products of supermarket brands, what we call own brands, for example Delhaize cereals, a Cora chocolate, Carrefour pickles or one of the brands of Aldi, Lidl, Intermarché or another.
“This is where it gets complicated. For starters, before comparing the prices of competitors’ own brands, we must compare the products, which is why we buy a lot of them to check that they are equivalent to ours. Our comparators analyze everything, the composition, the ingredients, the capacity and if it turns out that our range offers an equivalent product, we adapt our price, even if it means making a calculation when the competitor’s applesauce jar weighs 340 grams. and ours 420. We use the price per kilo to compare.”
On her desk, a lady carefully reads the instructions for several rolls of cling film purchased by a colleague from various stores. She conscientiously notes the lengths in her notebook and then enters the data into her PC. It is a program designed by the IT department which is responsible for compiling the data and transmitting any price adjustments to the various group offices.
“We compare absolutely everything, including fruit and vegetables, even wines, for example Chenin-type white wines from South Africa. Here you have 5 or 6 3-litre cubis purchased from various brands, they have different brands but if they are sufficiently similar, we will match the price of ours to the cheapest. This is our commitment to the best price.”
