Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, a reinforced price monitoring system has been established in the territory of Saint-Martin. The fraud prevention officers of the UTDIECCTE of Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin thus studied the evolution of the prices of a panel of mass consumption products sold by the main distributors on the island.
This system was supplemented by the collection of consumer reports. Any report of price increase can be deposited on the website signal.conso.gouv.fr. As soon as the information transmitted on the increase is well documented, an investigation by the law enforcement officers is carried out in order to look for possible abusive behavior. To date, the studies and surveys carried out show a moderate increase in the selling prices of basic necessities in mass retailing, on average by 2,4%, since the period preceding containment. These observed increases are linked to changes in the costs borne by distributors and can be explained by: Changes in the logistics chain for the transport of goods; Product substitutions, due to supply shortages on the usual references; The cyclical variations in the prices of seasonal fruits and vegetables, which combine with the difficulties generated by the health crisis. These observed increases can all be justified.
No abusive practices were noted among the controlled distributors.
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