Pepsi will also disappear from shelves in Poland. Carrefour limits cooperation

High food prices put pressure on families already suffering from high energy costs. According to Kantar, they also contributed to a 4-5 percent decline in the amount of food purchased by consumers in the first eight months of 2023 compared to the previous year. However, volumes fell by just 0.5% compared to 2019 as shopping habits during lockdown returned to pre-pandemic patterns. In Poland, the food market has also shrunk in quantity.

Carrefour did not provide a figure for the average increase demanded by PepsiCo in negotiations for next year, which have been ongoing for a month. However, Coca-Cola, another major US food maker, has said it wants to raise its prices in France by 7% next year, which has also led to tense negotiations with French retailers.

Carrefour's decision to stop selling PepsiCo products is not the first time such tactics have been used by retailers seeking an advantage in negotiations with suppliers. In September, Carrefour began placing downsizing stickers on products that had decreased in size but the price on shelves remained the same or increased, to warn customers. Products included in the campaign included Lipton Iced Tea from PepsiCo and Vienetta Ice Cream Cakes from Unilever.

Leclerc, another major French supermarket chain, said it would stop selling drinks maker Pernod Ricard products in the summer after not agreeing on prices, but the products have since returned to shelves. British supermarket chain Tesco entered into a similar dispute with Heinz regarding the prices of beans and ketchup in 2022.

In November, the Greek government fined local branches of Procter & Gamble and Unilever €1 million for violating gross margin regulations.