Promos, hunting for the best prices,…: the battle plan of supermarkets to try to counter rising prices


Promos, hunting for the best prices or reduced margins are some weapons to reduce the final score.

Inflation is gaining ground almost every day in Belgium and around the world, and all daily expenses are impacted. It is enough to shop in a supermarket to realize the increase in prices of almost all products. But in such a competitive sector, each brand must try to limit this increase as much as possible to keep its customers and its turnover. To do this, you obviously have to be creative, even if it is impossible today not to increase your prices, even when you promise the best prices, like at Colruyt. A promise that requires more work than ever. “We have around 120 people who collect prices online and in the physical stores of our competitors in order to adapt ours if necessary. This also means that Colruyt does not fix prices, but follows the prices of the competition.says Nathalie Roisin, spokesperson for Colruyt Group. With regard to the effects of inflation and rising prices, exceptional situations call for exceptional measures. In our relationship with our suppliers, being able to offer the best prices to our customers also means being able to obtain the best conditions from our suppliers. We are monitoring the situation closely, as are they. If necessary, we enter into constructive consultations with them. And we are also looking for alternatives with them. But we believe it is our social duty to be able to offer a wide range of products at competitive prices.

A social duty, but also a calculation that plays into the competition since Colruyt works with different suppliers for each type of product, and therefore chooses the cheapest. “We are also producers through our Fine Food division. We are therefore also affected by the rise in the price of energy and raw materials. We therefore remain critical of the price increases requested. If they turn out to be unreasonable compared to the market, we do not accept them“, she continues.

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