Belgian consumers are increasingly shopping at Delhaize’s rivals after a pricing row with Unilever saw the retailer delist some 250 of the consumer goods giant’s brands last week, a survey has claimed.
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Unilever has been trying to push through price increases in Belgium. However, Delhaize has resisted the move, which it claimed would result in a price hike of as much as 30% for its customers.
According to a survey out today (16 February) conducted by Brandhome, 31% of Delhaize customers have shopped elsewhere to obtain Unilever products. Of these, about 40% have turned to discount rival Colruyt.
Meanwhile, of the consumers that remained loyal to the store, 47% had turned to an alternative big brand and the remaining half were buying Delhaize’s own-label alternative.
“This distribution row has been very highly publicised, meaning that consumers are especially aware of empty spaces on shelves,” a spokesperson for the research group told just-food.
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By GlobalData“It is damaging for the image of both Delhaize and Unilever in Belgium. The only winners are rival retailers – such as Colruyt – and rival brand manufacturers.”
Neither Unilever nor Delhaize were available for further comment as just-food went to press.
