So now Pampers. Two out of three diapers in this country come from this brand, but there will soon be none left at Edeka, a replacement supplier is being sought. Edeka is engaged in a bitter power struggle with the supplier Procter & Gamble – and with many other corporations. There are still stocks, but more is missing from the shelves every day: Mars bars, Miracoli and Kitekat, Pepsi and Lay's chips, Philadelphia.

Edeka boss Markus Mosa is downright angry when he talks about the high returns of the manufacturers and about the fact that Edeka itself is foregoing hundreds of millions of euros in profits in this fight. The top priority is to relieve the burden on private households, he says. It remains to be seen whether consumers will thank him for that. Some would probably like to pay the required premium for the perfect diaper or the beloved dog food.

Others are happy when there are more and more low-priced private labels at Edeka. However, this also shows the risk that Edeka is taking: If customers are already buying discounter goods anyway, the question arises as to whether they will soon do all their shopping elsewhere.