Why Ricard and Pastis 51 may not be on Leclerc shelves this summer

Will one of summer’s flagship drinks be missing this year? In stores under the Leclerc brand, alcoholic drinks from the Pernod Ricard group are becoming less and less common. Rest assured, this is not a shortage of goods, but a commercial dispute between two large groups, points out site specializing in drinks in mass distribution Rayon Boissons.

Four years after their first commercial dispute, the two groups fail to reach an agreement to renegotiate food prices between distributor and manufacturer, resulting in the total or partial exclusion of Pernod Ricard products from Leclerc’s store listing, the report said. website. A claim that the world leader in premium wines and spirits nonetheless wishes to qualify. “There are no exceptions to the list on the shelves of Leclerc stores,” comments Pernod Ricard, while acknowledging “difficult discussions, but they will succeed.”

In addition to Ricard and Pastis 51, there are other world’s number two brands in wines and spirits that are not on Leclerc’s shelves, such as Ballantine’s whisky, Absolut vodka or even Havana Club rum.

Le Parisien was contacted, Leclerc did not want to answer our questions about the reasons for this disagreement. According to the LSA, Pernod Ricard has decided to cut off supplies of Leclerc after tumultuous trade negotiations. Something neither the alcoholic nor the retail brand wanted to endorse.

Tough times as Father’s Day approaches

This is a blow to Leclerc, who will have to deprive himself of the many bottles of alcohol on the shelves at the beginning of summer, a good time for aperitifs, and also in the days before Father’s Day, when bottles of alcohol are often used as gifts. . Recall that Ricard is the best-selling product in French supermarkets after Cristalline water.

Bad news for Pernod Ricard as well, which will no longer be able to market its products under the brand with the largest market share in the sector (23.4% y/y) and whose market share is growing the most.

It is for this reason that the conflict may not last long, as it did in 2019, when it lasted only three months. At the time, Pernod Ricard refused to negotiate with Leclerc on a European level to discuss the terms of distribution of its products in French brands.

A year earlier, a similar dispute erupted between Coca-Cola and Leclerc. The retail brand has accused the American giant of significantly raising the price of its drinks. The reason for the conflict may be similar this year to Pernod Ricard, when we know that the alcohol company increased its prices by 10% in the first half of the year worldwide (240 brands in 46 countries) and intends to continue to increase them.