2023-05-11 00:11:46
On June 6 in Paris, 3rd edition of Bulk workshops (and reuse), co-organized in particular with Linéaires. For the occasion, I’m going to put the bulk back at the top of the blog pile! Because even if bulk has been a bit (understatement) eclipsed by inflation in the retail news of the last few months, it remains a subject that brands and retailers cannot ignore. First episode: 3 questions to Franck Bonfils, the boss of Juste Bio, the French leader in bulk. Originality: it has already lowered its prices! He explains…
Juste Bio is one of the few suppliers to have maintained or even lowered its prices last March against the general trend…
Franck Bonfils: Indeed, our prices had to increase by barely 1% and, at the same time, we decided to reduce the price of our flagship product, almonds, which represent 20% of our sales, by 15%. It will now be common to see almonds on the shelves at less than €20/kg. On other best-selling references such as walnut kernels or hazelnuts, we have applied -5%.
Against the current, of course, this price change was considered for good reasons! Entirely from organic farming, our offer is less sensitive to fuel price increases than a conventional offer. Due to limited mechanization in production and shorter distances travelled, organic fruits generally come from less far away than non-organic ones. Beyond an undeniable ecological impact, the absence of pesticides is also interesting in the current context. Ditto with the limited use of fertilizers or the absence of plastic packaging derived from petroleum. Finally, since our products are little processed (shelled, little or no packaging, etc.), the impact of energy inflation is also limited.
These are all reasons why inflation is “mechanically” less marked on our products. Beyond that, we believe it is necessary to make an effort, the major problem with organics remaining its price and willingness to pay.
In recent years, we have seen and experimented with many initiatives aimed at improving the bulk purchasing experience, most often via technical solutions (furniture, scales, “petrol pump” solution, etc.). Juste Bio was not associated with its efforts. You do not believe in it ?
Franck Bonfils: The ideal solution allowing both to ensure the hygiene of the department, to avoid shortages and to satisfy customers with the “right dose”… we know it, it is human, with assisted selling. But this is unimaginable in the vast majority of stores. Technical solutions exist, we took the time to observe and test them. We remain skeptical about the deployment of certain high-cost technologies. However, we are working on an innovative distribution method that we are testing in stores and which should allow us to address many black spots in the bulk department and to go further in this form of sale.
What about the presence of national brands in the bulk department? Many tests have been undertaken and, for the time being, few with Juste Bio...
Franck Bonfils: We actually started last year with Alpina Savoie, a brand of pasta produced by an SME. We are continuing this year with Saint Louis sugar and other collaborations are under discussion. The new mode of distribution that we are experimenting with should allow us to take a step forward and welcome more branded organic products in the future. Essential prerequisite to which our partners must adhere: the prices of bulk products must be 10% cheaper than their packaged equivalents.
See you next June 6 at the 3th edition of the Ateliers du Vrac in Paris. A morning of conference which also integrates the reuse of containers and the deposit to move towards zero waste.
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