Taking advantage of Big C supermarket’s ongoing 36-day discount program, Tan Binh District’s resident Thu Ba bought so many items she had to use the chain’s home delivery services to get the stuff back.
“The price of cooking oil in street markets is becoming exorbitant,” she said.
In comparison, Big C had lowered its Tuong An-brand 5-liter cooking oil from VND140,000 to VND128,500 per bottle.
Big C’s media director Quynh Trang said the discount plan, which offers 20 to 50 percent off prices of 300 essential items including food, is part of an “investing in prices” program designed by the supermarket chain and its suppliers.
She said the program offers the “best price level” for consumers in the midst of rising prices.
Many items here are sold at 2 to 10 percent lower than market prices.
Trang said from June 25 to July 6, the last day of the discount plan, prices will be cut even further, with total discount values approaching VND3.5 billion.
But Big C is not the only supermarket chain slashing prices.
Hundreds of items are also on sale at Co.opMart.
Co.opMart’s vice marketing director Quynh Chi said prices of items like cooking oil, fresh food, shampoo and facial foam are purposely kept low.
Additionally, supermarkets like Fivimart and Maximark every week select certain items to sell at almost no-profit prices.
Price-conscious times
The director of Maximark supermarket in Tan Binh District’s Cong Hoa Street, Phuong Thao, said consumers’ habits are changing.
She said housewives are presently switching from expensive brand names to reasonable ones of satisfactory quality.
Supermarkets thus have to promote stable, low-priced brands, especially for items whose prices are escalating everyday such as spices and food.
Many have started to produce their own low-priced products.
For instance, Co.opMart partnering with Dong Nai Food Processing Factory is now offering a pork brand at
VND2,500 per kilogram lower than other brands of the same type.
Big C also offers its own discounted brands such as Wow, Ebon and Casino.
Trang said Big C’s brands are always 15 to 20 percent cheaper than brands of similar kinds on the market.
Some chains like Maximark look for low price, high quality products from foreign suppliers while others invest in low price products in particular categories.
Co.opMart’s processed food, for instance, is always cheaper than similar products on the market.
Fresh food advantage Supermarkets are investing in fresh and processed food, which represent their top growth item for sales.
Co.opMart’s Chi said high growth in vegetable sales shows more shoppers are turning to supermarkets for fresh food.
Consumer experts say a wide range of fresh food products as well as product safety is what attract shoppers to frequent supermarkets.
Trang said at Big C, fresh food must meet stringent requirements in color, smell, sanitation as well as storage standards.
A representative of Maximark said last month when prices of all items hiked, sales of essential items such as fresh food remained high, while purchases of luxury products plummeted.
Source: Tuoi Tre |
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