Guest of BFMTV at the beginning of February, in the midst of a debate on how to help precarious students, Michel-Edouard Leclerc announced for the end of February the launch of a student basket, sold at a particularly competitive price.
A month later, Leclerc is preparing to launch a shock offer, which we are unveiling to you in preview.
It is not reserved for students only, but open to all people with a small budget.
As of March 8, and with no time limit, the brand will offer a week of balanced meals in all its stores, ie 21 meals, at the price of 21 euros all inclusive, or… one euro per meal!
As a reminder, the packed lunches reserved for students at Casino in February, thanks to donations from customers, had a value of 5 euros.
Balanced menus including a vegetarian
While in the current difficult economic context, many French people find it difficult to eat a balanced diet (because it is too expensive), the brand has concocted with experts four balanced baskets, including a vegetarian, each including 21 meals.
Each of them will include 65 products of the Repère or Eco + brand (the brand's brands), having “mainly a Nutri-Score A, B or C”.
These baskets "comply with national and European nutritional recommendations on the reference intakes of calories, sugars, fats (particularly saturated), salt and proteins".
And the menus developed take into account "the nutritional needs of an average adult, around 2,000 calories."
The competition is questioning
If the idea is laudable, the implementation seems rather complex, at least in store.
To access the four baskets of products and the menus offered, you must first go to the dedicated site.
Then, in the shelves, go fishing for these 65 products by following the posters that will alert consumers to them, which requires spending a little time.
In drive, the maneuver seems simpler, since four dedicated shops will bring together the products of the four elaborate baskets.
Last question: how the devil succeed in keeping these menus in a tight budget of 1 euro per meal, when Casino, for example, made baskets at 5 euros, at cost price it seemed?
"There is inevitably a wolf," squeals a cautiously anonymous competitor, who recalls that large-scale distribution has no right to sell at a loss.
Asked about this, the Leclerc sign specifies: “Not only will we offer competitive products of the Leclerc brand, but we will use tips, such as selling four compotes for 0.90 euros for example, but which will be used for four different meals.
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