Latest news with #Terry'sChocolateOrange
The Guardian
04-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Cost of Easter rises as UK chocolate, lamb and hot cross bun prices soar
Exchanging Easter eggs and tucking into a roast dinner are among the highlights of the spring holiday but Britons face paying more for this year's celebrations after a sharp rise in the price of essentials such as chocolate, lamb and hot cross buns. A leg of lamb joint now costs on average £13.94 a kilo in in supermarkets, which is 10%, or £1.31, more than last year, according to the price analysts Assosia. Over two years, the jump is nearly 27%, or approaching £3 more a kilo, based on the pre-promotion price across Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons. The price of hot cross buns has also crept up, with supermarkets charging an average of £1.71 for a four-pack of premium 'extra fruity' buns, which is 19p, or 12%, more than last year. Tucking into chocolate eggs is an integral part of the annual festivities, and last year Britons spent more than £255m on Easter eggs, according to the data company Kantar. However, this year consumers are often being asked to pay more for a smaller egg. When pack sizes are reduced and prices stay the same, or even go up, it is called 'shrinkflation'. Some chocolate eggs from big names such as Cadbury and Mars have increased by more than 50% per 100g, according to research by the consumer champion Which?. At Tesco, Which? found a Twix white chocolate Easter egg had increased from £5 to £6 in the run-up to Easter, and had also shrunk from 316g in 2024 to 258g, meaning the unit price (per 100g) had gone up by 47%. Eagle-eyed shoppers have also spotted that a Terry's Chocolate Orange has diminished in size, down from 157g to 145g. A Terry's spokesperson blamed the decision on 'sky-high cocoa prices due to massive cocoa shortages. We've put off making any changes for as long as we could, but … we've had to make adjustments to the weight of the balls,' they said. Even Cadbury Mini Eggs now have a maxi price tag. At £1.80, an 80g pack costs 30p more than last year. In 2023 the average price was £1.25, according to the market research company Assosia. The increase is particularly noticeable on larger packs, with a family sharing bag hovering around the £5 mark. 'Shrinkflation is becoming more common as manufacturers try to offset rising production costs,' said Richard Price, a grocery analyst at Britsuperstore. 'Brands often choose to reduce portion sizes to maintain affordability while keeping their pricing competitive. Unfortunately, this means consumers are getting less for their money.' The most recent official cost of living data showed UK food prices rose 3.1% in the 12 months to February but a breakdown revealed some big increases. The price of lamb and chocolate was up by 16%. Meanwhile, Easter baking ingredients such as butter and eggs climbed nearly 19% and 5% respectively. Chocolate has become more expensive because of poor harvests in west Africa, in particular Ghana and Ivory Coast, where more than half of the world's cocoa beans are harvested. After hitting an all-time high of £10,137 a tonne last year, cocoa bean market prices had then fallen back but have recently marched higher, reaching £6,200 a tonne in late March. At the same time, putting a Sunday roast on the table has become pricier, with one recent survey suggesting the overall cost of the favourite meal had risen 22% in the past 12 months and 76% over five years. The report by the supply chain company Inverto said the cost of elements such as beef, potatoes and cabbage was up sharply since 2020. The dinner's centrepiece, lamb, has also risen in price, with supplies tight. The British Retail Consortium economist Harvir Dhillon pointed to shortages, with the number of lambs slaughtered falling in 2022 and 2023. 'In addition to this, demand was fairly strong, with consumers slightly less price sensitive and able to spend more on more expensive meat options.' The price of unsalted butter is nearly 28% up on this time last year at £6,250 a tonne, and goes some way to explaining higher prices on supermarket shelves. It is being driven up by several factors, including tight stocks and higher Irish butter prices. 'The UK is a net importer of butter and heavily relies on Irish butter,' said Jose Saiz, a dairy market analyst at the research firm Expana. 'Thus, expensive Irish butter prices have had a knock-on effect on UK prices.'
Telegraph
31-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
I worked at WH Smith. This is why it all went wrong
The call came during a lunch break at college when I was 17. A softly spoken jittery man named Phil was the one to tell me: I'd got the job, could I start on Sunday? I was on cloud nine. So long to the messy, smelly pub kitchen I'd been toiling away in and hello to the glamorous world of retail work. The road to glory was paved with discounted Dairy Milks and threadbare blue carpets, and that road ran straight through WH Smith. It's hard to reconcile that youthful exuberance, 14 years later, with the sad demise of WH Smith, soon to be replaced on high streets by the impersonal, invented name TG Jones. When I started my Saturday job at WH Smith on Fishergate High Street in Preston in spring 2011, the brand felt like a high street stalwart. While HMV down the road was on the rocks, and the Woolworths opposite hadn't gone the distance, WH Smith was a rock. While my college peers toiled in cafés and pub kitchens, I felt pride in donning my blue button-down. That enthusiasm didn't last long. Till point conversations Because Smith's shelves were stocked with literally every product the human mind can imagine, the till system was intricate. We had to log every time we sold a blade or drugs – by which, of course, I mean a pair of scissors or glue, including Pritt Sticks. These till shortcuts were stored under the sub-menu within the touchscreen system for discounted chocolates, the obvious location. I can't reflect on my time at WH Smith without talking about the dreaded 'TPCs'. Short for 'till point conversations', shoppers will remember being asked 'Would you like a Terry's Chocolate Orange/Dairy Milk/packet of Sharpie Pens for just a pound with your shopping today?' (The word 'just' was vitally important.) Customers hated being asked, especially when they were just popping in for a magazine or a bottle of water. But if you found it annoying, imagine how tiresome it was to repeat that question hundreds of times per day, especially when trying to clear big queues. Still, because stores were assessed on how many TPC products they managed to shift, managers watched like hawks. Failure to ask resulted in a swift reprimand. Staff were 'motivated' by a large spreadsheet, hanging in the upstairs office which tracked how many transactions we'd supplemented with a TPC. Those who came at the bottom were obliged to take a retraining course on till etiquette. I would ask my parents or friends to come in while I was working just so I could flog out-of-season chocolate oranges to them and avoid this. Shoppers may also remember the reams of vouchers and gift certificates presented alongside every purchase – all carefully timed to make clear that no discount could be claimed until at least a week after the voucher was printed. Plastic bag fee To compensate for felling a small rainforest to create the paper for these, WH Smith was one of the first shops to introduce a fee for plastic bags. A plastic bag was 1p (5p if you preferred one which didn't disintegrate as soon as you picked it up) but we were told not to inform customers about that until after we'd finished bagging their shopping in case they abandoned transactions. That was the thinking anyway. I cannot begin to tell you how many times a parent abandoned a basket-load of folders, notebooks, pens, and plastic wallets during Back-To-School season (starting before the previous term ended, of course) rather than pay. Guess who'd have to return it all to the shelves? Perhaps noticing how much our customers loathed the till experience, WH Smith was an obvious candidate to become one of the first high street shops to introduce self-service check-outs. Preston was the second store in the UK to get them. Customers were thrilled by this development. Even more so when managers ordered us to stop using the traditional tills entirely and guide them through self-service instead. The first time I truly appreciated the sheer amount of quality content in the Sunday Telegraph was when one was launched at my head when I offered to help one shopper scan his copy. Concussion was avoided but a lifelong appreciation for broadsheet news was formed. Stained and sticky carpets A number of years ago, a Twitter account was set up dedicated to cataloguing the ruinous state of WH Smith carpetry. Our store's was particularly bad: a stain was left in front of the display for Richard & Judy's book club picks after a man defecated on the floor there. WH Smith never had the spare cash for cleaners or the like. I was once informed by my manager, a world-weary chap called Andy, that each store in the chain could afford a loss of £13 per week. One stolen Game Of Thrones box-set or a couple of misprinted lottery tickets was all it took to see the heating turned off until next Monday. When we could, we'd resist in small ways. If a customer ever asked for our cheapest packet of cigarettes, we'd direct him to the corner shop beside our backdoor. I'd forgo the bag charge if a customer was spending over a certain amount of money. Hard-working team Though WH Smith staff had a reputation for apathy, my team was dedicated and worked hard. I remember Linda, a woman in her seventies who could remember the precise location of every greeting card and magazine and spent an hour at the end of each day returning them all to their correct slots when customers abandoned them in the wrong locations. There was Ivan, a man who worked seven days per week, yet always sent customers on their way with a smile. And the aforementioned Andy who went out of his way to support us, happily inviting me back in the holidays to work after I'd gone to university. Anarchic, manic and mismanaged as working at WH Smith undoubtedly was, I'll forever be grateful to it. It taught me to think on my feet, the value of good customer service, the skill of diplomacy when dealing with truculent customers, and perhaps most importantly, the precise barcode number of the Sunday Times poly-bag which would never scan on the tills. WH Smith was always destined to end this way: pulled in every direction by incompetent management who gradually stripped away its identity in the attempt to be anything and everything for a quick buck. Even so, from 2011 to my final shift in 2015, it was a place I loved working. I can't say I'll truly mourn its passing, but there's no denying it helped shape me into the man I am today.
The Guardian
27-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Surging cost of cocoa leads UK shoppers to shell out more for smaller Easter eggs
Shoppers are shelling out for smaller eggs this Easter as shrinkflation takes a bite out of the favourite seasonal treat. The price of eggs made by big names including Cadbury, Mars and Terry's have risen by as much as 50% in some cases while some have also shrunk in size, according to research by consumer champion Which?. When pack sizes are reduced and prices stay the same, or even go up, it is often dubbed 'shrinkflation'. While official figures published on Wednesday showed inflation slowing to 2.8% in February, a breakdown of the headline figure shows food prices rose 3.3%. While price drops for milk, cheese and eggs brought some relief for shoppers, the cost of chocolate raced higher, up by a massive 16.5%. Chocolate has been getting more expensive for several years due to poor harvests in west Africa, in particular Ghana and Ivory Coast, where more than half of the world's cocoa beans are harvested. While confectionery firms say they have swallowed some of the cocoa price hit, the magnitude of the increase has resulted in higher prices on supermarket shelves. Looking at the weight of the eggs on sale, Which? found that the cost of some Easter eggs had increased by more than 50% a 100g compared with last year. At Lidl an 80g pouch of Terry's Chocolate Orange mini eggs was 99p in the run-up to Easter in 2024. However in 2025, it was not only more expensive, at £1.35, it had also shrunk to 70g. This equates to a rise of 56% per 100g. The bags on sale in other supermarkets had also shrunk but the price rise per 100g was less – 51% at Asda, 37% at Sainsbury's and 14% at Tesco. At Morrisons, Which? found a Cadbury Creme Egg 5 Pack Mixed Chocolate Box 200g had risen from £2.62 in the run-up to Easter 2024 to £4 this year. This worked out as a 53% price increase per 100g year on year, although the pack had stayed the same size. At Tesco, Which? found a Twix white chocolate Easter egg had increased from £5 to £6 in the run-up to Easter year on year, and had also shrunk from 316g to 258g, meaning the unit price (per 100g) had gone up by 47%. At Morrisons, Nestlé's KitKat Chunky milk chocolate Easter egg stayed at the same price in the run-up to Easter year on year at £1.50 but reduced in size from 129g to 110g, making it 17% more expensive per 100g. With shoppers getting less bang for their buck, Reena Sewraz, the senior money and shopping editor at Which?, said: 'If you don't want to pay more for less, it is worth shopping around,' and to be sure to compare the price per gram. Amber Sawyer, an analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said that for many commodities rising food inflation 'bears the fingerprints of climate change'. 'Chocolate price inflation is up from 14.1% last month to 16.5% this month. West Africa has been pummelled by climate impacts since 2023, with prices surging 400% last year,' she said. Mars Wrigley said that, due to rising manufacturing costs, it had adjusted some of its product sizes to minimise changes to its list price. Nestlé said significant increases in the cost of cocoa had made it much more expensive to manufacture its products and it has 'sometimes been necessary to make adjustments to the price or weight of some of our products'.
The Independent
01-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
The strangest substitutions made in online supermarket orders
Supermarket shoppers are reporting bizarre substitutions in their online grocery orders, with fish steaks replacing cupcakes and sanitary towels appearing instead of sandwich wraps. A recent survey by consumer group Which? revealed that 29 per cent of online grocery shoppers received a substitution in their last order, with some recounting truly unexpected replacements over the past year. Asda shoppers appear particularly affected, with nearly half reporting substitutions in their latest orders. The supermarket received a meagre two-star rating out of five for its substitution choices, according to the survey. One Asda customer reported receiving bananas instead of a desired pizza, while another found a roasting tin substituted for roast potatoes. Perhaps most surprisingly, a third shopper received micellar water, a facial cleanser, in place of drinking water. The poll found a third of Sainsbury's customers (32 per cent) found a substitution in their latest shop, although the grocer received three stars for its selections, suggesting they were generally well-received. Among the more bizarre examples reported to Which? were beef dog treats instead of beef steaks and leeks instead of flowers. Among the 31 per cent of Morrisons customers sent replacement items was one who said they found sanitary towels instead of sandwich wraps and another who received fish steaks in place of lemon cupcakes. A Morrisons spokeswoman said: 'We have reviewed all of the online substitutions for the last 800 days as they all have to be logged and we have no record of the ones Which? is claiming. So it sounds to us like it could be an urban myth.' Just over a quarter (27 per cent) of Amazon Fresh customers received replacement items in their most recent online shop, including one shopper who reported finding six bags of jelly sweets instead of free-range eggs. The quarter of online Tesco shoppers who received replacement items awarded the UK's biggest supermarket three stars for its selection creativity, with one finding orange-flavour vitamins instead of a Terry's Chocolate Orange and another finding they had bought cat food in place of ham. While many saw the funny side of substitutions, Which? heard from several customers who complained about receiving meat or dairy instead of vegetarian or vegan alternatives. One received cheese instead of lactose-free cheese and another received an item that contained gluten when a gluten-free item had been requested. Supermarkets tend to consider factors such as brand similarity, the price and availability when selecting substitutions, aiming to provide the closest possible match to the original order. However, the Which? findings suggest computer-generated replacements may be wide of the mark. Some supermarkets allow customers to opt out of receiving replacement items altogether but most will notify customers about substitutions beforehand via email or text and allow them to refuse the new item if they do not want it. All the supermarkets in Which?'s survey allow customers to hand back unwanted substitutions to the delivery driver, or when they pick up a click and collect, and receive a refund. Which? Money and Retail editor Reena Sewraz said: 'While some product substitutions in your online food delivery can be welcome, our research has shown that they can also be well wide of the mark – ranging from strange to completely inappropriate. 'If you receive a replacement that you don't want, you can reject it on arrival or you sometimes can opt out of receiving substitutions altogether, although your dinner plans could be disrupted if key ingredients don't show up. 'If you do end up with something you won't use, always contact the supermarket and ask for a refund.' An Asda spokesman said: 'We always let our customers know when their order contains a substitution and customers are able to opt out of receiving any at all. 'Our own data shows the vast majority of substitute items are accepted, and overall customer satisfaction is high, so we have asked Which? to provide us with the details of these orders so that we can investigate what may have happened in these instances.' Sainsbury's said: 'We want our customers to have the best possible experience when they shop with us. 'If a product a customer has chosen for their groceries online order is no longer available, our colleagues are trained to pick an alternative that's as close as possible to the original item. 'We're sorry that on the rare occasion this might not be quite right, our customer satisfaction scores tell us that our substitutions have improved over the last few years.'
The Guardian
01-03-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Strangest supermarket substitutions include dog treats instead of steak, poll shows
Sanitary towels substituted for sandwich wraps, fish steaks in the place of lemon cupcakes and beef dog treats instead of steak. These are just some of the 'completely inappropriate' supermarket substitutions reported by online shoppers in a poll. Almost a third of online grocery shoppers (29%) reported having received a substitution in their most recent food order, the survey for consumer group Which? found. Almost half of Asda shoppers reported receiving a replacement product in their most recent online order, making it the worst culprit for swaps, with one customer handed micellar water – a facial cleanser – in the place of drinking water. Another bemused online Asda shopper was sent a roasting tin instead of roast potatoes, while one was offered bananas instead of pizza. At Sainsbury's, 32% of customers said they had received a swap in their latest shop, including beef dog treats instead of beef steaks. One bewildered shopper was sent leeks instead of flowers. Of Morrisons customers, 31% had items in their most recent order replaced, with one sent sanitary towels instead of tortilla sandwich wraps and fish steaks substituted for lemon cupcakes. A quarter of online Tesco shoppers received a substitution. Among the examples of unexpected items, one said they had received orange-flavour vitamins instead of a Terry's Chocolate Orange, with another sent cat food when they expected ham. Meanwhile, 27% of Amazon Fresh shoppers – including Morrisons, Co-op and Iceland deliveries ordered through Amazon online – said they were sent replacement items, including six bags of jelly sweets instead of free-range eggs and a 12-pack of children's milk instead of a four-pint bottle. One in four Iceland shoppers received a replacement product in their most recent online shop. One customer had ordered a 24-pack of Pepsi Mango and received pasta instead, another was sent oranges in place of ham. Waitrose and Ocado shoppers were the least likely to receive a substitution, at 21% and 19%. While some customers thought it was comical to open up some unexpected items, others with special dietary requirements were less impressed. Many complained about being sent meat or dairy instead of vegetarian or vegan alternatives. Some other diet-specific items were not suitable: one shopper received cheese instead of lactose-free cheese, and another said they were sent an item that contained gluten when a gluten-free item had been requested. The consumer group said all supermarkets in the survey allowed customers to hand back unwanted substitutions at the point of delivery, or when they picked up a click and collect, and receive a refund. Some supermarkets allow customers to opt out of receiving replacement items altogether. Reena Sewraz, the Which? money and retail editor, said: 'While some product substitutions in your online food delivery can be welcome, our research has shown that they can also be well wide of the mark – ranging from strange to completely inappropriate. 'If you receive a replacement that you don't want, you can reject it on arrival, or you sometimes can opt out of receiving substitutions altogether, although your dinner plans could be disrupted if key ingredients don't show up. If you do end up with something you won't use, always contact the supermarket and ask for a refund.'
