Roy Badaro

🇫🇷 CARREFOUR FRANCE vs 🇱🇧 CARREFOUR LEBANON How much can the price of the same—or a comparable—product differ? Here are 20 examples from advertised online listings. All prices are in US dollars. Read each line as: FRANCE ➡️ LEBANON 🧀 CHEESE • Carrefour Camembert, 250 g¹: $1.73 ➡️ $7.22 — 317% more • Boursin garlic & herbs, 150 g: $2.45 ➡️ $9.92 — 305% more • Boursin black pepper, 150 g: $2.56 ➡️ $9.92 — 288% more 💧 WATER • Evian, 6 × 1.5 L: $4.09 ➡️ $15.03 — 268% more 🫙 MUSTARD & SAUCES • Amora medium-strength mustard, 415 g: $1.89 ➡️ $5.87 — 211% more • Maille Dijon mustard, 360 g: $1.84 ➡️ $4.39 — 138% more • Barilla Pesto Rosso, 190 g equivalent*: $2.11 ➡️ $4.96 — 135% more 🍓 JAM • Bonne Maman strawberry & wild strawberry, 370 g: $2.96 ➡️ $8.94 — 202% more • Bonne Maman Intense strawberry, 335 g: $2.40 ➡️ $7.22 — 201% more • Bonne Maman blueberry, 370 g: $3.68 ➡️ $7.64 — 108% more ☕ COFFEE & BREAKFAST • Lavazza Qualità Oro beans, 250 g equivalent*: $6.21 ➡️ $17.56 — 183% more • Lavazza Qualità Oro ground coffee, 250 g equivalent*: $6.42 ➡️ $14.14 — 120% more • Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, 375 g equivalent*: $2.25 ➡️ $5.16 — 129% more • Bjorg Superfruits muesli, 375 g: $3.34 ➡️ $7.43 — 122% more 🍫 CHOCOLATE • Lindt Excellence 90%, 100 g: $3.34 ➡️ $8.59 — 157% more • Lindt Excellence 85%, 100 g: $3.34 ➡️ $7.13 — 113% more 🌿 SPICES • Ducros ground cumin, 41 g equivalent*: $1.83 ➡️ $3.72 — 104% more 🧽 HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS • K2R dry stain-remover aerosol, 200 ml: $3.23 ➡️ $8.05 — 149% more • Dr Beckmann rust stain remover, 50 ml: $2.18 ➡️ $4.43 — 103% more • K2R Super Power stain remover, 550 ml: $5.46 ➡️ $8.06 — 48% more These examples raise a straightforward question: what explains such large price differences? Sources: Carrefour France and Carrefour Lebanon online listings. This selection highlights large gaps; it does not represent the average grocery basket. Prices vary by store, date and promotion. *French prices adjusted to equal quantities from these packs: beans 1 kg; ground coffee 2 × 250 g; Corn Flakes 500 g; pesto 200 g; cumin 100 g. Larger packs may benefit from bulk pricing. ¹Comparable Carrefour own-brand Camemberts; identical product codes not confirmed. Conversion: €1 = $1.1172; $1 = LBP 89,500. This proves that something is basically wrong in our system, as we have been trying to explain for a long time now. I don’t think that any minister in the actual government imported or exported anything. They do not have the knowhow of doing business in Lebanon. The situation in parliament is not much better! The few businessmen in parliament their voices are not heard, and they prefer not to lobby for a serious change in all procedures and systems to do business in Lebanon. The above was published by Dr. Naji Hayek, and my response!