Faqua decries the fact that more supermarkets have joined the ‘non-aggression pact’ on oil prices
Facua found that Aldi and Hipercor were maintaining a “non-aggression pact” with the rest of their competitors and were applying discounts on their olive oils to match the prices Mercadona introduced on August 21.
Faqua denounced that Aldi and Hipercor maintain a “non-aggression pact” with the rest of their competitors and have cut olive oil prices to match those Mercadona introduced on August 21 – a measure proposed by Alcampo, Dia and Carrefour.
The consumer organisation found that on Friday 23 August, Hipercor matched the price of its white label soft and rich olives to the price already set by four other supermarket chains. Aldi also set the same price, so the six supermarket chains now charge the same price for the products. €6.95.
On August 21, Mercadona reduced the prices of the various formats of its intense and soft olive oils, and in the case of liter bottles they increased from 7.62 to 6.95 euros (0.67 euros less).
Just hours later, Facua discovered that three other major supermarkets had done the same with similar products.
That is why, in July, Facua filed a new complaint with the General Directorate for Consumer Affairs, in which it identified parallel increases and decreases in the prices of white olive oils from eight major supermarket chains: Mercadona, Hipercor, Eroski, Carrefour, Alcampo, Dia, Aldi and Lidl.
The association’s analysis shows that when one chain continually changes the price of its own brand of olive oil, the others imitate it to match it, or reduce their difference by a few cents per liter.