Leclerc axes food price match deal
"Garantie promo" deal automatically refunded the difference if products were cheaper at a nearby rival
HYPERMARKET giant Leclerc is scrapping a promotional deal that promised to match its local rivals' prices.
The "Garantie promo" scheme refunded the price difference to loyalty card holders if Leclerc found any of the items bought were cheaper elsewhere in the area.
The scheme was designed to prevent shoppers visiting other shops, with a team of local researchers regularly checking prices and processing refunds automatically without the need for customers to lodge a claim.
The difference was paid on to the shopper's loyalty card to be used for future purchases.
According to Le Figaro, the scheme will be scrapped at the end of this month because it was considered too costly and too complicated.
It came into force last September in a quarter of the chain's 520 stores. Leclerc had been planning to extend the deal nationwide and launch a price comparison site for supermarket promo offers.
Retail analyst Olivier Dauvers told Le Figaro that Leclerc had failed to clearly explain the deal to shoppers, and it took up to seven weeks for the difference to be refunded.
The scheme was also costly to Leclerc, with some shops losing about 0.5% of their total turnover on the initiative.
Photo: Marc Planard
