Against the Resistance Unicoop Florence freezes prices until 8 January
Anti-revolutionary move. Prices blocked for the entire Christmas period. It is the initiative of Unicoop Florence to meet the difficult economic times of many families grappling with increasingly pressing price increases. Hence, from November 21st to January 8th, prices in all network outlets will not increase. Indeed, the only changes could be downwards, if market conditions permit. All this will apply to all products, packaged and fresh, such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables.
At the same time as Unicoop Firenze, for the pre-Christmas period, the 5 euro discount vouchers that can be spent in all points of sale will also return. In December, from 5 to 11 will be distributed – one every 30 euros spent up to a maximum of two – from 12 to 18 they can be spent, one every 30 euros and multiples, with no limits on the number of usable vouchers. The “Prices blocked” operation and that of the 5 euro vouchers involve an investment of 15 million for the cooperative. All with the aim of defending the purchasing power of families: “In this scenario, full of uncertainties and difficulties, both from a social and economic point of view – explains Francesca Gatteschi, marketing director of Unicoop Firenze – our cooperative has decided to intervene to support household budgets by blocking the prices of all products and replicating the initiative of shopping vouchers, an operation that has already been tested and which has also recently registered considerable appreciation. These two initiatives reinforce the primacy of convenience of Coop.fi shops, now recognized and certified also by third parties who deal with price detection. We think this is the best way to allow members and customers to face the Christmas holidays with more peace of mind”.
Unicoop Firenze has just inaugurated a new store in Empoli Pontorme (see photo), in place of the spaces of the former Savia glass factory, in the eastern part of the city. The new Coop.fi counts Pontorme has 53 employees including 14 new hires. This is a 20 million euro investment for the acquisition and recovery of the area of the former glass factory that has been abandoned for some time. Three million have been allocated to roads and urbanization.
And speaking of spending, the Tuscan and Florentine economic categories speak of the possibility of zeroing the VAT of some basic foodstuffs such as milk, bread and pasta. All agree, the signal is positive, but much more is needed. “It is clear – comments the regional president of Coldiretti Fabrizio Filippi – that it would be a measure of goodwill, which however does not affect the pockets of consumers. everyday life, but unfortunately there are other sectors that weigh much more and where the increase is much more consistent”. The position of Lapo Cantini of Confesercenti Florence is on the same line: “It would be an important provision, the bakers have taken a position precisely in the days past, with bread being the sector most in difficulty because it is very energy intensive. Of course it won’t solve the problem, but it’s a signal to take into consideration. Milk is also another product that has increased a lot, here in addition to the production problem, there is also transport. Then it is clear that the list of products that should see the lowering of VAT would be many others”. Finally, he welcomes the idea of Confartigianato Firenze which, with the general secretary Jacopo Ferretti, poses the problem of “price control beyond of VAT alone. The risk, in fact, is that in any case the price of bread, milk and pasta is high. There are deep-rooted and long-term causes, which affect shops and consumers, which must be acted on soon. It would be an initial intervention, which we welcome, but it risks being minimal”.