Frankfurt. "Goodbye Miracoli. Hallo Delverde" – this is what is currently being advertised in a current brochure from Edeka for the supermarket's own noodle brand. Because Miracoli from the US company Mars is currently not available for sale: Edeka has been arguing with Mars about the price for about half a year. The supermarket has so far rejected the food company's price demands. These are expected to be in the double-digit percentage range. Mars responded with delivery stops. An agreement now seems to be even more remote: Edeka is now replacing Mars products with its own brands.
450 products affected
Stefanie Diemand
Editor in business.
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According to the "Lebensmittel Zeitung", around 450 Mars products are affected. These are expected to account for a sales volume of 300 million euros. Mars is one of the largest food manufacturers in the world and has some well-known brands in its range. Some of the most popular brands include candy and chewing gum like Snickers or M&M's, pet food like whiskas and pedigree, and the rice brand Ben's Original.
The fact that retailers and manufacturers sometimes apply hard bandages when it comes to price adjustments is not new. Since higher costs and inflation have burdened companies – and their customers – the dispute has reached a new level: In addition to Mars, for example, Coca-Cola has already quarreled with Edeka. Mars is still in the clinch with Aldi Süd.
"The current considerable price demands of the manufacturer Mars are not objectively justified from our point of view," said an Edeka spokesman last year to the F.A.Z. Mars, on the other hand, said that rising costs would "continue to be absorbed internally as well as possible", "but that a certain degree of price adjustment is necessary".
At Edeka, however, they seem to want to go a different way – initially without the American group.