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The Paris Commercial Court ruled in interim measures that Coca-Cola must immediately resume deliveries to Intermarché. The beverage giant had stopped it after a conflict with the supermarket chain about the range.
Penalty
Early January the beverage company stopped delivery of the brands Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Fuzetea, Honest, Tropico, Caprisun and Monster to Intermarché and Netto. These retailers had indicated that they wished to buy fewer cola and other sugared drinks in the future, in favour of healthier (and more local) drinks. Apparently this was not to the liking of the American drinks giant, who then unilaterally decided to interrupt all deliveries.
Intermarché then went to court to force Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP), the company that distributes Coca-Cola products in France, to resume deliveries. In preliminary relief proceedings, the Paris Commercial Court ruled that CCEP must immediately deliver again, on pain of a penalty of 460,000 euros per day. However, the arrangement is temporary and applies for sixty days, during which time both parties must resume negotiations in order to reach a new agreement.
Find a new agreement
“The decision of the interim relief judge, covering the next 60 days, encourages us, before 1 March 2020, to to conclude a longer-term agreement with Intermarché”, Le Figaro quotes a spokesman for CCEP.
Intermarché top executive Thierry Cotillard is satisfied with the court’s ruling: “The most important thing is that the judge forces Coca-Cola, by means of a penalty payment, to resume deliveries immediately.” He also added that it was never the intention to stop selling cola, but to make more room for healthier alternatives, which are often produced by smaller companies. “We’ve read Coca-Cola’s statements and we hope their willingness to reach an agreement with Intermarché is sincere.”
