Waitrose sparks fury by removing all Warburton from its shelves in 'crumpet row'

11 January 2023 , 08:21

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Waitrose has pulled Warburtons products from its shelves (Image: In Pictures via Getty Images)

Waitrose has sparked fury after the supermarket removed all Warburtons products from its shelves in a row over crumpets.

The move comes after the supermarket said the Bolton crumpet maker's "performance didn't meet expectations".

However, Warburtons hit back saying that "quality is paramount" and that it has put "an awful lot of care" into the products it bakes.

Warburtons is a family-owned business whose biggest competitor is Hovis.

Waitrose said: "We stopped selling Warburtons products a year ago after their performance didn’t meet our expectations.

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"We focus on fantastic products at great value that our customers love and we remain open to working with Warburtons in the future."

But Warburtons hit back: "At Warburtons, quality is paramount. We put an awful lot of care into the two million products we bake and deliver to over 19,000 stores across the country every single day.

"We know that consumers recognise the quality, and value of our products and that is why we are the number one bakery brand in the UK.

"It is a shame that Waitrose chose to delist us last year and we would, of course, love to be back on their shelves in the future."

Warburtons is a family-owned business (Paul Cooper/REX/Shutterstock)

The crumpet maker posted pre-tax profits of £15.2m for the 12 months to September 25, 2021, compared to the £23.6m it achieved during the prior year.

The effects of the pandemic and a shortage of delivery drivers were both blamed as part of the cause of the dip.

Crumpet sales in Waitrose are believed to have fallen by 15pc over the last year, while sales in the wider crumpet market have increased by 10pc in sales.

The row comes after a similar dispute between Tesco and Heinz that saw

At the time, Tesco said it was locked in a price row with Heinz - and said it refuses to pass on increased costs to customers.

However, a deal was eventually reached and the firms put out a joint statement.

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