A supermarket sale offer on Nutella has led to scenes of violence in France, as shoppers battled to grab tubs of the popular hazelnut spread.

Intermarche supermarkets slashed the price of Nutella by 70 percent, bringing the price for a 950-gram tub down to the equivalent of 1.41 euros ($1.76). It previously retailed at 4.50 euros.

One customer told French media that the customers were "like animals" and that a woman had her hair pulled, an elderly lady took a blow to her head, while yet another suffered a bloody hand.

One video depicting the rush for the spread was posted on Twitter by @kennylebon and was captioned "Seriously? All this for Nutella?"

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One employee at a branch of store L'Horme in central France told the regional newspaper Le Progrès that attempting to stop the violence was met with fierce resistance.

"We were trying to get in between the customers, but they were pushing us," he said.

The report added that similar scenes were reported from stores across France.

Ferrero, the Italian company that owns the Nutella brand issued a statement disassociating itself.

"The company Ferrero wishes to recall that this promotion was decided unilaterally by the brand Intermarche."

The group also said it did not agree with a promotion that led to confusion and disappointment for customers.