Albert Heijn will hand out fines to suppliers who deliver less than ordered. Force majeure due to an epidemic or pandemic does not count as an excuse, according to the supermarket chain's new terms of delivery.
The Financieel Dagblad owns a copy of Albert Heijn's new delivery requirements. These have applied to some suppliers since 1 January. The supermarket chain states that suppliers will be fined if supplies stall due to a pandemic. Government measures such as curfews explicitly do not apply as an excuse, as do labour unrest and strikes.
Up to 80 per cent of order value
The company will check weekly whether suppliers owe fines. The amount payable can be up to 80 per cent of the order value. If a supplier delivers 98 per cent or less of the total order, or if 1 per cent of the products are not available, the Netherlands' largest supermarket can collect the fine immediately. In that case, the supplier is 'legally' in default.
Corona fine
According to experts, Albert Heijn is using the so-called corona fine to prevent suppliers from selling products to a party paying a higher price in the event of shortages. An AH spokesperson calls the corona clause "normal". It is said to be "compensation if suppliers make mistakes and we have to disappoint customers".
Conditions of other supermarkets unknown
According to the FD, it cannot be verified how much stricter the supermarket giant is than for corona. This is because the contract terms between supplier and Albert Heijn are secret. For that reason, it is also unclear whether the company is stricter in this than other supermarket chains.
Image: Empty shelves after corona measures were introduced in March Ellyy / Shutterstock.com
