Supermarket chains Cora and Carrefour have begun proceedings to extend their joint purchasing agreement into the future.
Whether such a renewal is feasible or not will be decided by L'Autorité de la Concurrence, the French competition authority. Commenting on the issue, the body stated that, “We deemed it the case that this matter should be referred to us, and thus a report will be drawn up before it can go ahead,” according to Linéaires.com.
The matter will be examined over the next two months.
A Carrefour statement on the initial agreement said that the deal “establishes a long-term partnership, with no equity ties between the two companies, under which both companies maintain their independence while committing to sustainable relationships with their suppliers. The agreement will enhance the competitiveness of their banners for the benefit of consumers.”
“This partnership covers purchasing negotiations for national and international brands, food products and general merchandise, with the exception of private label products, goods produced by SMEs and fresh produce from the agricultural sector,” it added.
The partnership came into effect on 1 January 2015.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
