Sacred acceleration. While deconfinement will take place, at least in some departments, from May 11, the large distribution is organized so that the French can have masks. As of May 4, Intermarché but also other brands will begin to market masks for the general public (in fabric and reusable), and “all (Auchan, Aldi, Carrefour, Colruyt, Cora, Groupe Casino, Intermarché, Leclerc, Lidl, Netto, Match, Système U ) will do so from May 11, ”announced Secretary of State for the Economy Agnès Pannier-Runacher.
These masks will cost “between 2 and 3 euros for those who are washable and reusable, or between 10 and 30 cents per use,” she said. Single-use paper masks will be sold at cost, less than one euro. Each brand, finally, must guarantee the “fair and serene distribution” of this protective equipment, and in particular determine the number of masks possible per purchase.
Back with Thierry Cotillard, the boss of Intermarché and Netto, on the organization set up in his brands, so that customers are supplied as quickly as possible, in sufficient quantities, and at low cost.
Intermarché and Netto will distribute 100 million surgical masks as of May 4. How is it going to happen in practice?
THIERRY COTILLARD. We will already reserve 10 million of these masks for our SME partners, suppliers, farmers, etc. who we work with. 3 million will be distributed by our members at the local level, and 7 million at the national level through Ania (NDLR National Association of Food Industries) and the FEEF (NDLR Federation of French Companies and Entrepreneurs), which represent companies. It is our way of helping to revive the economy.
And for individuals?
We will make 90 million surgical masks available to our customers at cost price from May 4, but a reservation system will be put in place as of Wednesday, April 29. We have chosen not to sell them on the shelves because this would be difficult to manage. As of this Wednesday, we sent an email to our customers carrying a card of our brands (of those who authorized us to contact them through this means, two million out of the 11 million in total) to ask them if they want to take advantage of this offer. If so, they will receive a single-use reservation voucher and can come and collect their box of 50 masks during slots defined in advance. For the others, a reservation system will be set up: from Monday 4 May, they will be able to reserve masks on the Intermarché and Netto websites.
