Bulk Buying Loses Its Charm: Shoppers Turn Away from Supermarket Bulk Aisles

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The entire sector has been impacted, with sales halving to 660 million euros over the same period. “There was, however, a tremendous civic momentum at the turn of the 2020s,” recalls, somewhat nostalgically, Célia Rennesson, director of the Bulk and Reuse Network, the sector’s professional organization. “Everyone was aware of the formation of a seventh continent of plastic in the oceans.”

So why such a reversal? Burned by aisle closures during the Covid-19 crisis and weighed down by the fluctuation of prices during the war in Ukraine, consumers have abandoned these sections. “From the retailers’ perspective, bulk selling is primarily a headache,” quips expert Olivier Dauvers, co-author of the WinMinute study.

20% Bulk by 2030

Complex management, food moths, risks of theft or cheating at weighing… “It’s a section that requires the same investment as a supermarket’s butcher or cheese counter, but without the same profit margins,” summarizes Didier Onraita, president of the Osmosia bulk grocery stores. “Moreover, it deters customers who find this system unhygienic, adds the CSR manager of a major chain. “They fear that these unpackaged products can be handled by everyone.”

Nevertheless, retailers are not giving up. “This crisis must be an opportunity to find a new model,” explains Bertrand Swiderski, CSR director of the Carrefour Group. The retailer is indeed looking to relaunch bulk sales and is testing other options: systematically lower prices than their packaged counterparts, new products such as candies, oil, and even yogurt without containers. It also relies on subcontractors to manage these sections that require special attention.

Legislation could also help. The Bulk and Reuse Network hopes that the article written three years ago in the Climate and Resilience Law, requiring supermarkets to dedicate 20% to bulk by 2030, will finally be published. Its implementing decree is expected in May. However, it will still require customer buy-in.