Carrefour, a leading French retail chain, has launched a campaign to combat "shrinkflation," adding price warnings on a variety of goods, including Lindt chocolates and Lipton iced tea.&nbsp;

The action is intended to put pressure on significant consumer products suppliers like Nestle, PepsiCo, and Unilever to reduce prices, and also prepares the ground for crucial contract negotiations that are scheduled to be finished by October 15.&nbsp;

Even as raw material costs have begun to decline, Carrefour has started identifying goods that have increased in price but have shrunk in size. The objective is to gain consumer support as retailers get ready for significant negotiations with some of the biggest brands in the world.&nbsp;

Reuters quoted Stefen Bompais, Director of Client Communications at Carrefour, as saying that the intent behind the initiative, saying, "Obviously, the aim in stigmatising these products is to be able to tell manufacturers to rethink their pricing policy."&nbsp;

Despite a drop in the cost of raw materials, Carrefour's CEO, Alexandre Bompard, who also serves as the head of the retail sector advocacy group FDC, has often expressed his concerns about the failure of consumer goods producers to cooperate in lowering the prices of various basics.&nbsp;

Bruno Le Maire, France's finance minister, has echoed these worries by calling 75 significant shops and consumer advocacy organisations in June to demand price reductions. Le Maire singled out Unilever, Nestle, and PepsiCo as firms not reaching pricing expectations following a new round of meetings last month.&nbsp;

Starting from Monday, Carrefour has labelled 26 products in its French stores with tags reading, “This product has seen its volume or weight fall and the effective price by the supplier rise.”&nbsp;

For instance, PepsiCo lowered the size of a bottle of its sugar-free, peach-flavored Lipton Iced Tea from 1.5 to 1.25 litres, resulting in a 40 per cent rise in the actual price per litre. Infant formula from Nestle, Guigoz, was reduced from 900 grams to 830 grams, and the Viennetta ice-cream cake from Unilever was reduced from 350 grams to 320 grams.&nbsp;

Consumer advocacy groups contend that retailers like Carrefour use "shrinkflation" on their private label products, making it a common practice.&nbsp;

With varying degrees of success, France and other European countries have been forcing large corporations to freeze or lower food and transport prices for several months to ease consumer woes brought on by rising living costs.&nbsp;

Bompais said that Carrefour has issued shrinkflation warnings in all its French stores and will continue to do so until the targeted suppliers agree to lower prices.&nbsp;

Although the shop could apply warnings to other products, it does not currently have plans to expand this programme.&nbsp;

(With inputs from Reuters)

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Carrefour, a leading French retail chain, has launched a campaign to combat "shrinkflation," adding price warnings on a variety of goods, including Lindt chocolates and Lipton iced tea.

Carrefour, a leading French retail chain, has launched a campaign to combat "shrinkflation," adding price warnings on a variety of goods, including Lindt chocolates and Lipton iced tea. The action is intended to put pressure on significant consumer products suppliers like Nestle, PepsiCo, and Unilever to reduce prices, and also prepares the ground for crucial contract negotiations that are scheduled to be finished by October 15. Even as raw material costs have begun to decline, Carrefour has started identifying goods that have increased in price but have shrunk in size. The objective is to gain consumer support as retailers get ready for significant negotiations with some of the biggest brands in the world. Reuters quoted Stefen Bompais, Director of Client Communications at Carrefour, as saying that the intent behind the initiative, saying, "Obviously, the aim in stigmatising these products is to be able to tell manufacturers to rethink their pricing policy." Despite a drop in the cost of raw materials, Carrefour's CEO, Alexandre Bompard, who also serves as the head of the retail sector advocacy group FDC, has often expressed his concerns about the failure of consumer goods producers to cooperate in lowering the prices of various basics. Bruno Le Maire, France's finance minister, has echoed these worries by calling 75 significant shops and consumer advocacy organisations in June to demand price reductions. Le Maire singled out Unilever, Nestle, and PepsiCo as firms not reaching pricing expectations following a new round of meetings last month. Starting from Monday, Carrefour has labelled 26 products in its French stores with tags reading, “This product has seen its volume or weight fall and the effective price by the supplier rise.” For instance, PepsiCo lowered the size of a bottle of its sugar-free, peach-flavored Lipton Iced Tea from 1.5 to 1.25 litres, resulting in a 40 per cent rise in the actual price per litre. Infant formula from Nestle, Guigoz, was reduced from 900 grams to 830 grams, and the Viennetta ice-cream cake from Unilever was reduced from 350 grams to 320 grams. Consumer advocacy groups contend that retailers like Carrefour use "shrinkflation" on their private label products, making it a common practice. With varying degrees of success, France and other European countries have been forcing large corporations to freeze or lower food and transport prices for several months to ease consumer woes brought on by rising living costs. Bompais said that Carrefour has issued shrinkflation warnings in all its French stores and will continue to do so until the targeted suppliers agree to lower prices. Although the shop could apply warnings to other products, it does not currently have plans to expand this programme. (With inputs from Reuters) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

French retail chain Carrefour takes action against "shrinkflation". Here's why

As business and leisure travel has resumed, the worst of the pandemic has passed, countries are once again accessible, and airlines anticipate strong revenue. So why is air fare still so high?

There aren't enough planes, to start with, according to a Bloomberg report.&nbsp;Due to the pandemic's low travel demand, airlines shut down a significant portion of their fleets. The biggest jets have to be prepared for service after being parked away for 100 working hours, so they can't bring them back quickly enough at the moment.

Another factor is that after being denied the chance to travel, in some cases for up to three years, people are willing to pay more for tickets, the Bloomberg report said. More than 25,000 adults who planned to travel in the next 12 to 24 months participated in a Booking.com study, and many said they wished to be "more indulgent" with their travel plans in order to make up for missed opportunities.

“Even if some trips might be a bit more expensive than they were previously, many people still see value in spending on travel,” said Marcos Guerrero, senior director of flights at the online travel company, who spoke to Bloomberg.&nbsp;

<h2>Staff Shortage</h2>

Airlines suffered losses of almost $200 billion due to Covid, which resulted in the loss of tens of millions of aviation jobs. The travel industry is struggling to re-hire enough people, now that a recovery is well underway.

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Delays at airport check-in counters, immigration counters, and baggage carousels have gotten worse as a result of the shortages. They've also made airlines work harder to recruit and keep personnel, which has required paying higher wages. As a result, airlines charge more because they need to cover the extra expenses.

<h2>Rising oil prices</h2>

Although the cost of oil has decreased over the previous year, it is still more expensive than it was in January 2019, which is problematic for airlines because it is their single-highest expense. Numerous carriers, especially low-cost ones, don't hedge their fuel costs, making them susceptible to price increases brought on by situations like Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Bloomberg report said.

A little over two per cent&nbsp;of the carbon emissions in the world come from airlines, but they lag well behind all other industries in their commitment to a greener future. That's in part because the sole practical option available right now, sustainable aviation fuel, costs up to five times as much as traditional jet fuel.&nbsp;

<h2>Aircraft shortage</h2>

At the height of the pandemic, up to 16,000 aircraft—or almost two-thirds of the commercial fleet worldwide—were grounded. It takes a lot of work to get them back in the air, and every component must be carefully inspected for safety. Many were maintained in the US and Australia's deserts, where they are less prone to deterioration, but they can still experience problems including harmed interiors and engines.

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Obtaining new engines is another hassle. Due to a lack of parts and the difficulty in producing new turbines, airlines including Spirit Airlines Inc. and India's IndiGo have been forced to idle new aircraft. Some newer technology also requires more frequent maintenance because components made of composites, coatings, and peculiar metal alloys wear out more quickly.

“Capacity is a challenge,” Ryanair’s O’Leary said at a Bloomberg conference this month.

“Over the medium term, the inability of Airbus and Boeing to deliver any meaningful increase in production means capacity is going to continue to be challenging for the next two, three, five years,” he said.

&nbsp;

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As business and leisure travel has resumed, the worst of the pandemic has passed, countries are once again accessible, and airlines anticipate strong revenue. So why is air fare still so high?

As business and leisure travel has resumed, the worst of the pandemic has passed, countries are once again accessible, and airlines anticipate strong revenue. So why is air fare still so high? There aren't enough planes, to start with, according to a Bloomberg report. Due to the pandemic's low travel demand, airlines shut down a significant portion of their fleets. The biggest jets have to be prepared for service after being parked away for 100 working hours, so they can't bring them back quickly enough at the moment. Another factor is that after being denied the chance to travel, in some cases for up to three years, people are willing to pay more for tickets, the Bloomberg report said. More than 25,000 adults who planned to travel in the next 12 to 24 months participated in a Booking.com study, and many said they wished to be "more indulgent" with their travel plans in order to make up for missed opportunities. “Even if some trips might be a bit more expensive than they were previously, many people still see value in spending on travel,” said Marcos Guerrero, senior director of flights at the online travel company, who spoke to Bloomberg. Staff Shortage Airlines suffered losses of almost $200 billion due to Covid, which resulted in the loss of tens of millions of aviation jobs. The travel industry is struggling to re-hire enough people, now that a recovery is well underway. ALSO READ | Facebook-owner Meta's shares jump after earnings, lifting US stocks Delays at airport check-in counters, immigration counters, and baggage carousels have gotten worse as a result of the shortages. They've also made airlines work harder to recruit and keep personnel, which has required paying higher wages. As a result, airlines charge more because they need to cover the extra expenses. Rising oil prices Although the cost of oil has decreased over the previous year, it is still more expensive than it was in January 2019, which is problematic for airlines because it is their single-highest expense. Numerous carriers, especially low-cost ones, don't hedge their fuel costs, making them susceptible to price increases brought on by situations like Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Bloomberg report said. A little over two per cent of the carbon emissions in the world come from airlines, but they lag well behind all other industries in their commitment to a greener future. That's in part because the sole practical option available right now, sustainable aviation fuel, costs up to five times as much as traditional jet fuel. Aircraft shortage At the height of the pandemic, up to 16,000 aircraft—or almost two-thirds of the commercial fleet worldwide—were grounded. It takes a lot of work to get them back in the air, and every component must be carefully inspected for safety. Many were maintained in the US and Australia's deserts, where they are less prone to deterioration, but they can still experience problems including harmed interiors and engines. ALSO READ | China broadening counter-espionage law spooks foreign businesses Obtaining new engines is another hassle. Due to a lack of parts and the difficulty in producing new turbines, airlines including Spirit Airlines Inc. and India's IndiGo have been forced to idle new aircraft. Some newer technology also requires more frequent maintenance because components made of composites, coatings, and peculiar metal alloys wear out more quickly. “Capacity is a challenge,” Ryanair’s O’Leary said at a Bloomberg conference this month. “Over the medium term, the inability of Airbus and Boeing to deliver any meaningful increase in production means capacity is going to continue to be challenging for the next two, three, five years,” he said. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

What's driving up air fares despite rising demand? Experts have the answer

Annual inflation in Israel was at 5.3% in December of 2022, driven by the rising cost of housing, transportation, communication, and food. This is Israel's highest rate of inflation since 2008.

Israel's inflation at 5.3% in 2022, highest since 2008

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