Argentina’s major supermarket chains reached agreement with the government to freeze prices for two months, the head of the association representing the retail giants told Efe Monday.
Signatories to the accord include Coto, Carrefour, Jumbo, Disco, Libertad, Vea, La Anonima and Walmart, ASU director Juan Carlos Vasco Martinez said.
“We are the most visible face of retail selling, but not the only price-makers,” he said, suggesting the pact may help reveal which link in the production and distribution chain has the most influence on prices.
The accord with the ASU comes amid a push by President Cristina Fernandez’s government to get a grip on inflation, even as academic and private-sector analysts continue to dispute the official figures on prices.
While the Argentine government says inflation was 11 percent last year, unofficial estimates range from 20 percent to 25 percent.
