Retailers have begun to prohibit manufacturers from re-evaluating product prices. According to Kommersant, some retail chains have limited the ability of suppliers to send proposals to amend the terms of contracts. In some cases, this issue cannot be raised for up to six months. Sellers insist that the problem is not related to state regulation of food prices, while manufacturers are confident of the opposite. The positions of the parties were studied by Grigory Kolganov.
Every December, food producers and sellers discuss what prices will be on the shelves next year. Negotiations are sometimes postponed to February-March, but this time, after the authorities intervened in the pricing of sunflower oil and sugar, some retailers took this position in relation to suppliers of various goods: they say, do not even stutter in the coming months about the increase in the cost of your products.
The Kommersant article mentions the Globus and Okay retail chains. They did not respond to the publication's request. But the Association of Retail Companies is not inclined to associate this situation with government regulation. Rather, the suppliers were unable to justify the increase in prices for their goods, believes the head of AKORT Sergey Belyakov: “This is a common practice, it is not related to the latest events. If there are any peculiarities of the behavior of one of the networks in the market, in many ways, probably, they are related to the requests that the suppliers broadcast to them. If the networks see that the expected increase is either not connected with objective circumstances, or is capable of leading to a significant increase in retail prices, then, probably, the networks do not accept it. "
But manufacturers say they are already feeling the pressure of the sellers. The general director of the Delta trading house, the supplier of Arkhyz Vita water, Anna Molchanova, says that in December, retail chains offered to reduce selling prices so that they would not rise on the shelf. And this was expected after retailers voluntarily began to keep the cost of social goods. “We were immediately told at the talks that we would not consider the increase. Several chains have approached us with an urgent request to lower the price, that is, they want to increase their mark-up, while they do not want to change the price on the shelf. This automatically means lowering the supplier's price. As soon as I heard that they were freezing the mark-up on socially significant products, I immediately realized that the mark-up would be raised on socially unimportant products. We didn’t agree, but what will come back to haunt us, we will see at the end of January, ”explained Molchanova.
The seller does not have the right to oblige the supplier to lower the selling prices, but he can simply withdraw his goods from circulation. And a break with one of the few federal retail chains for a manufacturer is similar to death, as well as work at a loss, says the public ombudsman in the field of trade regulation Andrei Danilenko. At the same time, government interference in pricing has clearly upset the balance of power in negotiations between retailers and counterparties, Danilenko continues: “When the government took a very tough stance on controlling prices on shelves, it became an additional argument for retail chains for tough negotiations with suppliers. There is a big risk that the manufacturer may not only suspend sales, but also suspend production for some time, which will also have a very negative impact on the business. "
However, all parties to the negotiations do not seem to be interested in such a development of events and hope to come to a compromise. It is not difficult to guess what it will be - an increase in the cost of production at the first opportunity. Should we expect a sharp rise in retail prices? The head of AKORT Sergei Belyakov believes that it is not, and offers to look at the recent past: “There was a short period associated with the rush demand, but the problem was solved very quickly by increasing the volume of supply, including buckwheat and groceries. It's the same now. There are the usual traditional factors that affect prices - production, increased or decreased demand, and yields. But, to be honest, I do not expect any kind of explosive growth. We are highly dependent on the financial capabilities of the buyer, and they do not imply any explosive growth. "
The authorities have so far ultimately limited prices for sunflower oil and sugar, introduced quotas and duties on grain exports, and also untied themselves in matters of regulating the cost of other social products. But all these measures will lose their political attractiveness in January, says Nikolai Dunaev, managing partner of Novosibirskkhleboprodukt. He agrees that there will be no explosive rise in prices next year. Rather, a significant rise in prices will be smeared over several months. “How do you compensate for the objective growth in world prices for protein items? These are meat, eggs, flour, butter. Why has the price increased? This will all be compensated. As such, everyone will probably try to avoid a surge, there will be a smooth, creeping growth, ”Dunaev believes.
The Russians are unlikely to stock up on long-term storage products, because next year the next federal elections will be held. And it is possible that the authorities will want to demonstrate to the electorate their ability to regulate prices.