Hand washing with hydroalcoholic gel in Nice in March 2020 (photo of illustration) – SYSPEO / SIPA
- A photo of the bottles of hydroalcoholic gel produced by LVMH and which could not be sold caused a stir on social networks. They were indeed on the shelves in a supermarket.
- The Carrefour group claims that this was an error and that the product has been withdrawn from sale.
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In the midst of a coronavirus epidemic and a few days before the second phase of
deconfinement, the photo has been shared several thousand times on social networks. In a supermarket shelf, bottles of
hydroalcoholic gel produced by the luxury group LVMH are sold at a price of 9.50 euros. Problem: these products are marked “cannot be sold”. “Gel produced by LVMH, which donated it to hospitals (cannot be sold) and which is found on the shelves of a Carrefour City at an illegal price,” said a Twitter user in particular.
Hydroalcoholic gel made by @LVMH which donated it to hospitals (cannot be sold specified on the label) and which is found on the shelves of an @CarrefourFrance City at an illegal price! cc @bompard @dgccrf pic.twitter.com/16Lo9Xycfx
– François-Loïc Pichard (@flpichard) May 26, 2020
The photo provokes many negative comments, accusing the Carrefour group of wanting to take advantage of donations intended for carers.
FAKE OFF
The original photo was published on LinkedIn on Tuesday by the president of the Union of pharmacist groups, Laurent Filoche, who confirmed to 20 minutes having taken the picture in a Toulouse store.
Carried out on Twitter, the Carrefour group provided several details. The brand first assured that this hydroalcoholic gel “was intended for our employees and should not have ended up for sale. It was a store error, it is fixed. ” The sign specifies that the items were withdrawn from sale this Wednesday morning, which confirms the author of the photo at 20 minutes.
Hello, the gel was removed from the shelf this morning. It was intended for our employees and should not have ended up for sale. It was a store error, it’s fixed.
– Carrefour (@CarrefourFrance) May 27, 2020
Faced with accusations of reselling a product intended for the caregiver – the LVMH group had effectively announced on March 15 its intention to “manufacture and offer to the public authorities significant quantities of hydroalcoholic gel” intended for the health authorities -, Carrefour
retorts: “LVMH supplied gel to retail chains. “
A version confirmed by the luxury goods manufacturer to our colleagues at BFMTV: ” [LVMH] produced gel primarily for hospitals, but with what was left after these orders were delivered, we were also able to give them to dozens of public and private structures. For example, other distributors than Carrefour, the Paris Prefecture of Police, etc. “
Finally, the Carrefour group indicated that the Carrefour City type franchise stores are “autonomous[s] on shelving, prices, etc. “
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