One week after presidential election, the giant of mass consumption Coca Cola It warned businesses throughout the country that it will raise the prices of all its products by 35%, the day after the elections.
The decision took the government by surprise and generated discomfort in the Internal Trade area managed by Matías Tombolini. The multinational beverage and soft drink company informed businesses throughout the country “preventive increases”and admitted that they will not respect the price agreements until there is a new president, to not lose profit margins. The decision has great impact, since itThe multinational giant has a 65% stake in gondolas.
The communication of the increase was made by the Coca Cola Company, the mother company, and the distributors and bottlers that has the brand in the country. Among them are those in the AMBA area, Reginald Lee and Femsa, and those in the interior, Distribuidora Atlántica, Andina, Arca and Continental.
In parallel, the businesses in Capital, GBA and the interior were also surprised, because the firm clarified that will not respect price agreements since, he pointed out, it is not clear who will manage the country after the October 22 elections.
In the Ministry of Economy they noted that Coca Cola’s attitude “contrasts with a measure” exhibited by giants of the food such as Arcor, Molinos, Ledesma and Mastellone (La Serenísima).
The key weight of Coca-Cola on the shelves
Coca Cola has 65% of the total beverage category, followed by Pepsico, in soft drinks.
Its best-selling product is the liter and a half Coca Cola, which is included in Careful Prices, with a value of $622.07. In proportion, that soda costs $322.07 per liter. On the other hand, the 2.25 liter has a value of $849.73, that is, $377.66 per liter, fifty pesos more.
A few months ago, the Center for Political Economy (CEPA) He did a job in which he showed who gets the juiciest part in the gondolas. They reflected that There are 20 companies that represent 74% of the billing of everything you see in the supermarkets.
The list includes Coca Cola as the leader, but also Unilever, Sancor, Mastellone, Danone, Procter and Gamble, Molinos Río de la Plata, Papelera del Plata and Arcor, among others.
Could Coca-Cola face fines?
It is not the first time that Coca Cola has had problems with price increases outside the agreements. In the middle of the year, the Ministry of Commerce fined him 45 million pesos for serious irregularities with highlights. At that time, the French company Danone, which is very strong in yogurts, was also fined 40 million pesos.
In an operation of inspection in nearby businessesthe portfolio led by Tombolini confirmed at the time that Coca Cola and Danone were selling their products with increases higher than those established Fair Prices.
Coca Cola had already applied remarks of up to 32.5% monthlywhen the Fair Prices agreement marked a permitted path of 3.2%.
To obtain this information on increases, Commerce managed to get the local and neighborhood stores to deliver the invoices of the suppliers of these two companies and it was verified that they sold their products with an increase higher than that established in the price agreement. Faced with this non-compliance, Commerce sanctioned Coca-Cola and Danone for 40 and 45 million pesos, respectively.
Source: Ambito
