2023-11-17 02:25:01
Faced with an inflationary context, consumers’ main concerns obviously remain the rise in prices in grocery stores. “We understand very well the concern and frustration of customers in the face of prices that have increased, this has been our reality for two years,” expresses the president and CEO of Metro, Éric Laflèche in an interview with the bulletin de 20h30 at LCN.
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However, the CEO of Metro reassures that inflation is falling, at 5.5% in the last quarter, unlike 8% in the previous quarter.
“These are higher prices than they were, that’s for sure, but these are market prices. The food production chain is very long, we are at the end of the chain, we are also experiencing these increases,” he comments.
A fight with suppliers
Mr. Laflèche explains that Metro tries to “resist” suppliers as much as possible on their requests for price increases. “We understand that customers do not want us to increase our prices. We don’t want that either! We are trying to negotiate,” he explains. However, the post-pandemic context does not allow them to “resist” as much as they would like. “They have the big end of the stick,” he adds.
A meeting that “changed nothing”
Following a meeting in Ottawa with the Minister of Industry, François-Philippe Champagne and the major grocery chains, the minister noted that “prices had fallen” in grocery stores.
However, the president of Metro does not support this assertion. “There has been no change for Metro. We have not changed our prices. We fight every day to offer value to our customers. Things have not changed since the meeting,” he expresses.
Mr. Laflèche insists that there are still “thousands” of requests for price increases, “it is improving”, but it remains present.
Watch the full interview above
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