October 1, 2013
Thailand's Commerce Ministry has agreed with the country's large retailers - Tesco Lotus, Big C Supercentre and Makro to freeze or reduce prices of more than 2,000 consumer goods and food products, including pork and eggs, for the rest of the year.
According to reports the three retailers met with Deputy Commerce Minister, Yanyong Phuangrach, last week and promised to set up special promotional plans for essential products, so that consumers do not have to shoulder higher living costs. Yanyong said goods prices should not increase for the remainder of the year as a result of the campaigns being launched.
The modern traders have agreed to either freeze their prices, or to discount them by 10% to 50%.
To ensure living costs do not rise further, the ministry has also obtained the cooperation of 5,955 food retailers and street-food traders that they will sell their wares at THB25-THB30 (US$0.80-0.96) per menu, he said.
Salinla Seehaphan, corporate affairs director of Tesco Lotus's Ek-Chai Distribution System, said Tesco had agreed to draw up a cheap-price promotion for the remainder of the year at its more than 1,500 outlets nationwide. The promotion will focus on fresh vegetables and fruits, which will help farmers as well as reduce people's spending costs for the upcoming vegetarian festival.
Kudatara Nagaviroj, director of corporate affairs at Big C Supercentre, said the company would lower the price of its cooked food from THB29 (US$0.93) per menu to THB22 (US$0.70).
Siriporn Dechsingha, associate commercial director of Siam Makro, said the company would focus its cheap-price campaign on ingredients in order to reduce the production costs of food retailers and restaurants. The main focus will be on rice, cooking oil, sugar, eggs and pork. It will also maintain the prices of its house-brand products, and is scheduled to run a low-price campaign from November 13 to 26.
Meanwhile, a newspaper survey found that the price of street food had increased in many areas, including Bangkok and nearby provinces.
