A text, carried by an elected representative of the majority and examined Monday, January 16 by the deputies, intends to restore power to suppliers, during commercial negotiations. A burning subject, while inflationary tensions persist.
by Laurence Girard and Cécile Prudhomme
This is a bill that could revolutionize annual tariff discussions between distributors and manufacturers of food products, as it approaches sensitive subjects: promotions regulation, purchasing power plants located abroad or pricing rules in the event of disagreement between parties.
After being amended in the Economic Affairs Committee on Wednesday, January 11, the text, “aimed at securing the supply of consumer products”, carried by the deputy (Renaissance) of Val-de-Marne Frédéric Descrozaille, will be examined in the National Assembly, Monday, January 16. And the debates promise to be animated, because this proposal concentrates all the challenges linked to the income of farmers and manufacturers in times of energy crisis, but also to questions of purchasing power of the French, in the context of historically high inflation and sustainable.
The most sensitive subject lies in the fact that the deputy Descrozaille wishes to “rebalance the forces” in relations between suppliers and distributors, who, each year, are the scene of stormy discussions. “Today, if there is no agreement after the deadline of 1 er March, the supplier is obliged to deliver the distributor to the conditions of the year before, And this for several months. And, with the sharp increase in costs, he loses money, “explains Mr. Descrozaille.
” It’s total amazement “
According to the text subject to the assessment of Parliament, in the event that negotiations do not succeed in a contract signed at 1 er mars, suppliers and distributors have a transition period One month for, under the aegis of the mediator, get along on a notice of commercial rupture or “resume negotiations to zero”. During this period, the previous price would be extended. In the absence of agreement, the new price requested by the supplier would apply automatically if the distributor wants to continue to be delivered.
A measure that sparked the anger of the distributors, on the theme of the defense of their customers, already worried about the fall in their purchasing power. “It’s total amazement,” protests Dominique Schelcher. The CEO of System U denounces “a text which risks accelerating inflation, in an already tense context, where there is a drop in sales in volume, started in the summer of 2022, which increases”. “It is a completely counterproductive compressor roll, in which the voice of the distribution which is on the ground is not understood.” The question of the timing of the text is also posed: first signs of reflux on the prices of raw materials like metals, cardboard or certain cereals are emerging.
You have 57.81% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.