When shopping, consumers come across empty shelves. Heavy price adjustments are to blame, leading to disputes between dealers and manufacturers. The situation has worsened since the beginning of the year. FOCUS online lists the popular brands that are now missing.
The food manufacturers PepsiCo and Mars have provided Edeka branches with a delivery stop. Affected branches can order products, they are no longer supplied by the brands (FOCUS online reported exclusively).
The company has now confirmed corresponding reports and is going on the offensive.
The supermarket giant shared a lot about social networks a few days ago. After the two manufacturers were specifically named, one post said: “It’s okay that you no longer supply us.”
In a press statement, Edeka speaks of a “unilateral” measure. Affected are soft drinks (“Pepsi Cola”, “Mirinda Orange”, “7Up” and “Schwip Schwap”), snacks (“Lay’s”), tea and iced tea (“Lipton”). But also “M
Manufacturers Beiersdorf or SC Johnson with the brands “Nivea”, “Hidrofugal”, “Eucerin”, “Glade”, “Null-Null”, “WC Ente” and “Pronto” have imposed a unilateral delivery stop for Edeka branches.
There are apparently also problems with brands such as “Brandt”, “Schogetten” and the fruit spread “Glück”.
At Rewe (as of the end of January 2023) there are no products from the brands “Kellogg’s”, “Crunchy Nut Cornflakes”, “Special K”, “Toppas” and “Froot Loops”. The assortment of the brands “Pedigree”, “Frolic” is limited, just like for “Café Hag” or “Melitta”. Consumers have only found a few types of coffee and coffee bags from the manufacturer for weeks.
There are also bottlenecks with the “Maille” mustard brand. According to insiders, the manufacturer had demanded strong price adjustments.
In the meantime, Rewe – unlike its competitor Edeka – has apparently been able to reach an agreement with Mars and Pepsico.
The FOCUS online price radar shows that well-known brands have become significantly more expensive. For a bottle of Pepsi, consumers have to pay 1.29 euros at Rewe. In October, the price was still 1.19 euros. Twix, Mars and Snickers are also about 10 cents more expensive.
Unlikely. Experts expect a de-escalation by spring 2023.
The prices for the coming six months will be discussed during the current trading condition negotiations. But it is also about new products, the presentation, special offers and delivery times. In view of the current expensive phase, the price plays an important role.
“Behind the scenes, supermarkets and discounters are preparing for the heavy negotiations in autumn,” warned an insider in early June in an interview with FOCUS Online.
Retailers reject sharp price increases in the double-digit percentage range.
In the current expensive phase, it is becoming increasingly difficult for consumers to shop cheaply. However, there are methods that we will list here.
Although Rewe, Kaufland, Edeka, Lidl and Aldi try to lure customers into the branches with offers, they have to calculate with higher prices.
In the past three weeks alone, six large supermarket chains have raised the prices for almost 60 products.
FOCUS Online advises: Look more closely at the weekly brochures of the supermarkets for offers, use apps, vouchers and also no-name brands to get the greatest savings potential.
Prospectuses are mailed out weekly, often between Thursday and Saturday. In some regions, the magazines can be found in your local city or weekly newspaper. Be sure to remove any “No Ads Please” stickers from the mailbox.
It is more practical to leaf through the brochures online: FOCUS current brochures
If the price of groceries, for example, does not appear to have changed, consumers should take a closer look at the packaging when shopping.
Manufacturers are increasingly adjusting the quantities in packaging. In so-called “shrinkflation”, manufacturers shrink the content or degrade the product quality in order to introduce a hidden price adjustment.
That’s not a new phenomenon. However, according to the consumer centers in Hamburg and Hesse, complaints about this have increased in recent months. It is particularly perfidious when the size and presentation of the product packaging remain unchanged.
So many consumers don’t notice anything at first. But the pack contains fewer grams or goods than before – for example fewer biscuits, tea bags or dishwashing tabs.
When shopping, you should therefore pay attention to details – if you regularly buy certain products, you should pay attention to the quantities and the exact list of ingredients on the packaging.
It is often worth comparing the basic price of products from different manufacturers – i.e. the price per kilogram or liter. This makes it easier to identify expensive packs with little content. And ultimately save with cheaper offers.
