Invited to BFM Business, Didier Duhaupand in turn denounced the text of the Descrozaille deputy who wants to return power to industrialists in trade negotiations.
The bill of deputy Frédéric Descrozaille does not stop making waves in the large distribution. After the denunciation of Michel-Edouard Leclerc on Twitter, the bloodshed of Lidl’s boss on RMC, it is the turn of the president of Intermarché to raise the alarm against this text that will be examined in the National Assembly from 16 January next.
Didier Duhaupand, invited to BFM Business this Friday, did not mince words against this proposal described as inflationary by the major distribution.
“It is an absolute scandal that is happening,” said the current boss of the Groupement des Mousquetaires.
“This bill is madness for consumers. In every game there are two teams and a referee who sets the rules. This is the first time that a team has been allowed to write the rules itself.”
The distributor here refers to Article 3 of this draft law, according to which if the price negotiation between the distributor and the manufacturer fails, the price determined by the latter could prevail. However, with the price increases, especially for energy, distributors fear that the prices they should accept will rise sharply, fueling the inflationary spiral on the shelves.
“This proposal is madness”
As a reminder, current legislation allows distributors, in the event of no agreement, to extend purchase prices negotiated during the previous year until a new agreement is reached. However, because of the increase in costs, maintaining the purchase prices of the previous year threatened to weaken small manufacturers.
It is to prevent a multitude of bankruptcies in the agri-food sector that deputy Frédéric Descrozaille drafted this bill. The goal, he says, is to rebalance the balance of power between a handful of large distributors and tens of thousands of manufacturers forced to sell their products in mass distribution.
An argument that was roundly rejected by the boss of Intermarché.
“It is a completely biased presentation, Didier Duhaupand believes. [Le député] spoke of tens of thousands of industrialists. Most of these industrialists and in particular the union of small industrialists representing 90% of the producers say: “Watch out, this bill is madness, it will cause a price increase of 40 to 50%”.
The risk is that if the distribution refuses the new tariffs, the manufacturers will no longer supply the stores.
“Industrialists do not hesitate, he recalls. Whether it’s Evian, Coca Cola, the big coffee manufacturers… They don’t hesitate to reduce their supplies. These big multinational manufacturers represent France for them 1-2% of their balance sheet, They don’t care, they won’t hesitate to stop deliveries if we don’t accept without discussion.”
Fear considered exaggerated by Jean-Philippe André, president of Haribo France and Ania, the association of major food producers.
“[Avec l’actuelle législation] In case of disagreement, we are forced to use the old prices, but with 10% inflation you understand that is impossible, he said on BFM Business on Thursday. You have to make sure the negotiations go ahead, but if in a specific case you have an industrialist who says “under these circumstances I can’t”, then we take the time, we discuss together, we can help the Mediator and in an infinitely small number cases, if I have to break up, I can break up.”
The text that was studied and adapted in the Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday 11 January will be discussed in plenary on 17 January next.
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