While the 2024 negotiations were marked by a historic change in calendar, the DGCCRF was nonetheless more tolerant.
It did not fail to that deadline – even exceptional ones – are meant to be respected. and, incidentally, that our national provisions are intended to apply entities located abroad, as long as the products are intended to be marketed in France.
The Spanish subsidiary of the CARREFOUR group, which is responsible for negotiating the commercial conditions applicable to products sold in France with suppliers, has been fined a hefty administrative penalty for failing on 12 occasions to enter into contracts before the deadlines laid down in the French Commercial Code.
This follows the sentencing last August of EURELEC, the Belgian central purchasing body of which LECLERC is a member, to an even more staggering fine of 38 million euros for 62 breaches!
These convictions provide an opportunity to recall 2 key dates in commercial negotiation:
– Firstly, December 1: the date by which all suppliers of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) must have communicated their terms and conditions of sale;
– then the famous March 1, 2025 date: back to basics this year, you’ll need to have finalized your negotiations and signed your annual agreement by March 1, 2025 at the latest.