Ten years after its creation, European buying alliance Eurelec is setting its sights on greater transparency in cross-border pricing. As the partnership between E.Leclerc, Rewe and Ahold Delhaize enters its second decade, understanding the differences in commercial conditions between national markets is becoming a central part of its agenda.
Operating across eight countries, Eurelec recorded purchasing volumes of €13.39bn in 2025, up 8.3%, and expects to approach €15bn in 2026. It now works with 46 major multinational suppliers, giving it a broad view of pricing practices across several European markets.
The alliance argues that purchasing prices for identical products, sometimes manufactured in the same factory, can vary by as much as 40% between countries. While differences in local costs, market conditions and commercial strategies may explain some of this variation, Eurelec believes that greater transparency is needed to understand the reasons behind it.
Territorial supply restrictions are another focus. Country-specific distribution arrangements can limit access to purchasing conditions available in neighbouring markets, raising questions about the practical functioning of the EU Single Market.
The debate also highlights the regulatory complexity of European trade. Eurelec's ongoing disagreement with French authorities over the application of national commercial law to contracts negotiated in Belgium illustrates how national legislation can continue to complicate cross-border business, despite decades of European market integration.
More broadly, the situation underlines a persistent contradiction at the heart of the European grocery market: retailers and suppliers increasingly operate across borders, yet commercial conditions and regulatory frameworks remain largely shaped by individual national markets.