What if the supermarket suddenly lowers the price of a thousand products? Delhaize grabbed the other strings quickly.

Delhaize cuts the price of about a thousand products. Will this lead to a price war between supermarkets? “I expect a lot of competition this fall,” says Gino van Ossel of the Fleurik Business School.

Delhaize’s work coincides with the lead-up to the first day of school. Doesn’t that seem coincidental?

“Indeed. September is traditionally an expensive month for families with children. In addition to everything related to school, there are also expenses for new clothes and registration fees for hobbies such as music school. Every year, there are families who see their bill drop into the red at the end of that month.” .

“Plus, many of the competitors already had price promotions in the spring. Delhaize was in full social strife and wasn’t pursued at the time. So you could see this as Delhaize’s fall attack.

The chain wants to regain customer confidence. Will this work?

“As a service supermarket, Delhaize has the image of a more expensive store: everything looks a little nicer, the range is bigger, and you’ll find products and brands you won’t find in cheaper discount stores. But due to rising inflation, consumers have become more price-conscious and Delhaize has lost a lot of share. In the market.

Added to this is the social conflict of recent months. In most Flemish shops everything is more or less normal, but in Brussels and Wallonia you regularly see that the shelves are not being replenished or that the self-check is not working. They have to get customers back there. They do this through this promotion, but also with a personal approach. Customers who have not come to shop for a long time will get a bigger discount via their loyalty card when they purchase a certain amount.

What will other supermarkets do now? Will there be a price war with promotions?

“Delhaize can do something with this. We’ll see how Colruyt reacts to the new price folder. If the products are cheaper, they’ll also have to lower their prices. But what will they do if their prices are already lower, or if they don’t have certain brands in their range?

“Many supermarkets have already gained idle market share due to Delhaize’s social strife and they don’t want to give it away in this way. But if Delhaize doesn’t win customers back, it’s going to come up with a more difficult story. I expect a lot of competition from this. autumn.

“Delhaize has also caught up to other chains in terms of speed. Other supermarkets may not be issuing ‘Back to School’ leaflets until next week. Everyone is now ready to start lower food inflation.

Inflation has fallen for several months. However, we do not see this trend right away in our receipt. Will we see this cover now?

“In recent months, if we talk about hyperinflation, it mainly concerned multinationals among food manufacturers. And the supermarkets themselves kept their profit margins very slim. They faced higher buying prices, but they did not allow the selling price to rise at the same rate. .

“You should not forget that the price increases are already coming down. A receipt is more expensive than last year, but not more expensive than last month. Food inflation is expected to return to normal levels in August or September. Hence the private labels, which the supermarkets enjoy The bigger ones have a higher profit margin, they’re likely to get cheaper and there’s going to be more competition in. The manufacturers’ prices aren’t going down any time soon, but I would expect the bigger brands to do more promotions to increase their volumes.

“Normally, processed food prices never go down, but I see an opportunity for that this fall.”