still cheaper than in Belgium?
Detergent, water, top-of-the-range food… For these products, French prices are much more attractive. © BelgaImage
One out of three Belgians does their shopping abroad. In any case, that was what a Nielsen marketing study published in 2019 showed. % in Germany, 5% in Luxembourg and 1% in Great Britain. As an addition of the percentages indicates, some shopping policies in several countries. For which products? In order: soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, shampoo, laundry detergent, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, meats and poultry, cookies and chocolates.Colruyt’s new communication campaign leaves no doubt. The Belgian brand has been advertising since the end of January “prices more advantageous than any Dutch or French supermarket”. And for those who didn’t understand the first time, a baseline will take care of putting the dots on the i’s. “Why go shopping on the other side of the border when it’s cheaper in Belgium? The question could not be more relevant. We will try to answer it.
Cross-border basket
It is no coincidence that Colruyt was the first to draw against opponents based in our neighbours. It is hard to see Carrefour Belgium embarking on an operation which de facto would at least partially attack Carrefour France. Colruyt, he is a Belgian-Belgian distributor, touchy about competition that would come from across borders. And more precisely of a sign designated as the least expensive by all the hexagonal consumer studies: Leclerc.
It remains to see the shopping list. The cross-border consumers that we know tell us that they do not go to France for “usual” shopping. They target products that are particularly cheap compared to Belgian prices, which they eventually bring back in large quantities. Among the most popular: water, animal feed, wine, cleaning products, but also top-of-the-range cheeses and charcuterie.
For our part, to objectify the differences between the two cheapest operators in their respective markets, we have created a realistic consumption basket. Shampoo, periodic protections, detergent and a breakfast, a midday meal, an aperitif and an evening meal for four people. On the menu: an egg, multigrain toast, ham, Gouda cheese, butter, jam and coffee to start the day. Lunch: beef burger, fries, mixed lettuce-tomato salad, mayonnaise, mineral water, beer, an apple. In the evening: a gin and tonic, homemade spaghetti bolognese, parmesan, a glass of chianti, a yoghurt and two pieces of Toblerone. We will try to choose the cheapest goods, apart from Toblerone and Barilla pasta. We will base our comparisons on two supermarkets that are at the forefront of the price war raging on the Franco-Belgian border: Colruyt in Mouscron and Leclerc in Wattrelos, eight kilometers apart. A comparison was made with two second-line surfaces: Leclerc from Lille Five and Colruyt from Tournai to put possible dumping actions into perspective. Let’s go !
No need to describe the Colruyt in Tournai and Mouscron. They work the same way everywhere in the country following an austere route that starts with wines and ends with frozen foods. Between the second line of Tournai and the “front” of Mouscron, apparently no big price differences. There is, however, one obvious thing: the first prizes are best showcased in Mouscron. The accent is obviously more emphasized here, three kilometers from the border. And we feel the diffuse impression that, all the same, it is a little cheaper than in the Tournaisian branch. Bottled water is notably half the price there for the first price and is close to the French offer. In fact, the numbers don’t lie. Our basket costs less in Mouscron than in Tournai. A few cents gleaned from everywhere realized all the same to constitute a difference of more than 5%. There is exactly 5.6% between the first and the second Belgian line…
French variety
When you go from Colruyt in Mouscron to Leclerc in Wattrelos, you can better understand the will that the Belgian brand has shown locally to show that it is particularly affordable. It feels like we’re staying in the same city. We realize that we have crossed the border because the cars have other license plates. But it is, in fact, the same urban entity, with a comparable sociology. On the other hand, commercial decor question, that changes. The Leclerc is airy, colorful, pleasantly arranged with shelves decorated with warm materials: wood, fabrics… In the entrance to the gallery leading to it, a secure automatic locker delivered from Amazon parcels.
E-commerce is firmly deployed here, at the heart of a “real store”. A well stocked hypermarket. A French “first line” which has a wider choice than its Belgian counterpart. On drinks, it’s pretty clear, it’s cheaper in both soft drinks and alcohol. Except the beer. On the other hand, fruits, vegetables (except potatoes), meat, mayo, sanitary napkins, eggs, shampoo, milk, Toblerone… are more in demand. Here, too, the numbers don’t lie. By comparing the baskets gathered on both sides of the border in the front line, we reach a difference of almost 6%. It is clearly more interesting, on the reference bases that we have chosen, to do your courses in Belgium than in France. It should also be noted that the French first line plays quite small arms with financially attractive products. These are often found at the bottom of the shelves and inquiring about their price requires physical prowess worthy of classical dancers. The “Eco” brand is not always the cheapest within the same department. And a number of promotions displayed are likely to delight puzzle lovers. “15% off at checkout for 20% extra product! Yes, but what about the price per kilo?
Belgian victory
The journey from Wattrelos to Lille is challenging. Because we pass through the Faubourg de Roubaix through streets that belong to an imaginary reserved for the 19th century. It is still relevant today. Hundreds of meters of brick walls surrounding abandoned factories are, at nightfall, the setting for very strange walks. The arrival at Lille Five is a violent contrast. Pretty bourgeois houses lit by streetlamps surround the Leclerc. As for Belgium, there is a difference between the first and the second French line. Our Lille basket is 7% more expensive than that of Wattrelos. A commercial strategy is clearly at work and played out in the same way in both countries. But it is clearly Belgium who wins the match.
If Mouscron is 6% cheaper than Wattrelos, the percentage is less than 13% compared to Lille. While the prices for gin and tonic and lunch are similar to within a few euro cents in our four reference locations, this is not the case for the other meals. A breakfast for four people will cost you 3.70 euros, 4.30 euros, 4.40 or 5 euros depending on where you are shopping, either Colruyt Mouscron, Leclerc Wattrelos, Leclerc Lille Five or Colruyt Tournai. Meal day: 28.50 euros for Mouscron, 29.60 for Wattrelos, 30.60 euros for Tournai and 32.50 euros for Lille. That said, if economically speaking going shopping in France makes no sense – especially since gasoline is more expensive there – there is no shortage of reasons to go to the other side of the border. The choice is different and even more extensive and this can be a certain source of… a change of scenery.