Stability for shoppers: This Spanish supermarket is freezing prices on 300 products for 90 days

Amid spiking prices of everyday goods, economic uncertainty, and an increasingly strenuous cost of living, Spanish department store chain El Corte Inglés has announced that it will freeze the price of some 300 grocery products for a period of 90 days. This measure is being put into place as a direct effort to not only compete with other grocery chains, but to offer shoppers “stability and transparency,” according to the company’s press release.

Removing guesswork for shoppers: Fixed prices for the whole summer

The measure, which was officially implemented on Thursday, April 23, will allow shoppers to know exactly how much they will be paying for their regular grocery baskets amid the strain of the US-Iran-Israel conflict, which has caused a global supply bottleneck.

To be specific, the measure will be implemented in Supercor, Hipercor, and the El Corte Inglés supermarket, and will affect everyday grocery items in order to make it easier for families to plan and put together their basic shopping baskets. This measure will remove shoppers’ guesswork when it comes to rising prices of everyday goods, including fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, dairy products, and oils, among others.

Which products are included, and how can I find them?

The measure will encapsulate both El Corte Inglés brands and manufacturer brands. More than 60 of the products that fall under the plan will be fresh products.

Some of the products whose price will remain fixed for the next three months include:

• Chicken
• Sea bass
• Prawns
• Beef
• Pork loin
• Hamburgers
• Milk
• Cheese
• Coffee capsules
• Virgin and extra virgin olive oil
• Apples
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Legumes
• Pasta
• Rice
• Canned vegetables
• Canned fish
• Water
• Beer
• Diapers
• Cleaning products

In addition, all affected products will be identified with a coloured label in each of its stores: green in El Corte Inglés Supermarkets, blue in Hipercor, and red in Supercor.

Competing in a context of spiking prices

According to the announcement by El Corte Inglés, this strategy will work with the rest of the company’s usual policies, including regular promotions, bonuses, and discounts. The initiative will help the company to compete against other, lower-cost supermarkets in a context of rising prices and uncertain supply for many everyday materials and goods, including fruits, bottled water, and even condoms.

Active promotions: Deals and discounts

Some promotions already active for the supermarkets include a 70 per cent discount on more than 1,000 food, drugstore and personal care products, as well as a 25 per cent discount on wines and spirits in the Bodega section. These offers were put into place on the same day the announcement was made (Thursday, April 23) and will be valid until Tuesday, May 5.