Consumption: a further rise in the price of baguettes expected

Five additional cents, i.e. 1.05 euros per baguette of bread. In a bakery visited by France 2, it has been two months since this price increase. Customers are resigned, but understanding. “It’s normal, everyone has to get out of it”says a woman. To understand this increase, we must, for example, look at flour. “It’s taken 20% since the beginning of the year. There, we are still waiting for an increase for the start of the school year”deplores the baker, Jean-Yves Abacus.

In addition to raw materials, the price of energy is also on the rise: electricity has increased by 50% since the beginning of the year. “On a baguette, it’s not huge, but in terms of quantity, for us, over the year, it represents enormous costs. We are going to cut back on our margins”explains Jean-Yves Abacus. According to professionals in the sector, on the price of a baguette, 53% are used to pay salaries, 18% raw materials, and 11% energy and rent. Then come the other charges. In the end there is only 7% profits; too little to invest, according to the Confederation of Bakers, which is asking for a boost from the State.