In the last week and in the midst of a rise in prices,
the Ministry of Commerce multiplied inspections and applied 770 fines for $806 million
for alleged breaches of the Fair Prices program.
This Monday night, a holiday,
a Jumbo branch located in the town of San Martín was closed due to "missing merchandise and stock
", which caused surprise and also a lot of discomfort in the chains.
The tightening of controls coincides with the jump in inflation
.
In January, the CPI climbed to 6%, which contrasts with 5.1% in December and 4.9% in the previous month.
Faced with this, the Government
intensified surveillance of large supermarkets
, the most representative channel of Fair Prices.
According to Comercio, in the different inspections "infractions related to lack of merchandise and stock were registered", especially in "perfumery, personal care, cleaning, oils, tuna, flour, grass and noodles."
In supermarkets they believe that the closure of the Jumbo hypermarket could be the beginning of other similar measures.
"We received several alerts (based on complaints through the Fair Prices mobile application) in a very short period of time and found that 32 products were out of stock and more than 14 had more than 80% shortages," the statement said. official.
The striking thing, they stand out in the sector, is that
the inspectors arrived at 9:00 p.m. on a long weekend, when the supply level is lower than usual
.
On his Twitter account, Tombolini posted a video with images of the operation, with testimonies from Commerce inspectors and officials from the municipality of San Martín and the Consumer Defense.
"The State has been doing its part, that's why those who don't comply are punished. Prizes and punishments, that's what an agreement is about,
" Tombolini tweeted, referring to the operation at the Jumbo branch.
Jumbo belongs to the Chilean group Cencosud, which also controls and operates the Disco and Vea brands.
It is the second largest chain in the country
in number of stores, after the French Carrefour.
In supermarkets they described the closure as an "extreme measure" and without justification.
"Since November we have been warning Tombolini about the lack of merchandise and that manufacturers deliver much less than what we ask for," they lament.
Supermarkets warn that the level of compliance with Fair Prices (which includes a basket of almost 2,000 products with prices frozen until June)
is around 45%
, more due to non-compliance by suppliers than due to overheating of demand.
As
Clarín
published , this impacted the price gap with supermarkets, warehouses and neighborhood stores.
"They can fine you for signaling or for raising prices. But the supply is the only thing that we cannot control
," reason the supermarkets.
From Commerce they explained that inspections and operations are common.
Regarding the closure, they explained that "this procedure is part of the inspection plan", which has been intensified since last week.
"The fines - said Tombolini in radio statements - were deployed both in supermarket chains such as Día, Carrefour, those of the Cencosud Group (Disco, Vea, Jumbo) and the wholesaler Maxiconsumo".
He also mentioned some food companies, such as "Cabrales and Nestlé", according to the state agency Telam.
Regarding the latest operations, Tombolini said that various irregularities were found, such as "
out of stock, lack of signage, use of posters in gondolas for products that are not part of the program, duplication of labeling
. And this is somehow one more step in the idea that we cannot bring order to prices and build predictability if we allow abuses".
In Commerce they clarify that
the fines imposed are not immediately applicable
.
This is the beginning of a long process, in which companies can make their defenses and present evidence to the contrary.
In any case, and in the middle of the Carnival holiday, the mass consumption industry entered a deliberative state.
They interpret that the strengthening of controls
is a clear manifestation of the Government's concern for the inflationary escalation of the last few weeks
.
"They know that supermarkets control barely 30% of mass consumption sales. And that inflation is reflected more in supermarkets and stores, which are the channels they cannot control," they lament.
As published by
Clarín
, in January consumption in local stores fell -7.3%, "accelerating the levels of decline compared to previous periods", indicates a report by the Scanntech consultancy.
The contraction of sales in this channel accumulates 11 consecutive months, with peaks in August (-9%), September (-7.5%) and October (-11.1%).
The drop in that quarter coincides with the relaunch of a new version of Fair Prices, which attracts the public to the large supermarkets.
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