No respite for inflation. According to data published Thursday, February 2 by the research company IRI, which scrutinizes consumer purchases at the outlet of stores, food prices experienced a new heat in January. It estimates that they have increased by an average of 13.85% compared to January 2022. Across all consumer products, including hygiene and cleaning products, the increase is 13.73% .
« Inflation continues to climb in January and gains more than one point compared to December [2022]. This increase can be explained by in-store applications of negotiated prices, but which had not yet come down to the labels, and also by increases from the distributors themselves, who until then had mostly exceeded the manufacturers’ increases but not their own costs », comments Emily Mayer, business insights director at IRI France. She adds : “The increase is visible on all types of brands, but more clearly and strongly on the first prices and private labels. »
To follow the phenomenon more precisely, the IRI panelist set up The world a typical trolley of everyday products and observes its monthly evolution. Worth slightly more than a hundred euros at the end of 2021, this basket, made up of a mix of products from national brands, private labels and first prices, now costs 121.21 euros. That is an increase of 16.31% over one year.
Manufacturers and distributors in full negotiation
In this cart, a few products stand out in January. Among the strongest increases are that of the first-price sugar packet, at +32% (which brings its inflation over one year to 69%), and that of the national-brand chocolate cereal packet, at +11%.
Conversely, the price of a can of national-brand tuna fell by 18%. Overall, over one year, the most inflationary category still contains entry-level sunflower oil (+113%), sugar, private label basmati rice (+39.8%), crisps (+34%) , ground beef (+ 26.6%) or even butter (+ 23.8%).
Consumers are not at the end of their troubles. Manufacturers and distributors are in the midst of annual negotiations to set the prices for national brand products for 2023. Unsurprisingly, manufacturers are asking for new valuations to amortize, in particular, the energy bill. Result expected on 1is March. A new wave of inflation is therefore looming in the spring in supermarkets.
