I can't speak for the others, but at Metro, we require our suppliers not to introduce any price increases during a specified period. We will not accept any price increases from our suppliers between November 1 and February 1, more or less. It's a long-standing practice at Metro. I can't speak for the others, but I know that other companies do this as well. However, I don't know which of them do, or the periods for which they do so.
It's because we are busy with things other than negotiating with our suppliers during this period. We want to provide good service to our customers, at the lowest possible prices, and to ensure that our stores are ready for the holiday season, which is a busy time. As I said, it's a long-standing practice at Metro.
Because we won't accept price increases from our suppliers during this period, prices remain stable in our stores, not for products usually found around the store perimeter, like fruit, vegetables and meat, which change every week, but for dry goods. That's good news for our customers, because it keeps the cost of the food basket more stable.