Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Brexit now affecting supermarkets?

517 replies

e1y1 · 13/10/2016 01:23

Tesco has dropped all 200 of Unilever's brands from store shelves, over a dispute over pricing.

Unilever is blaming Brexit as the reason for wanting a 10% price increase for supply of it's products.

Whereas, MPs are saying Unilever are just using Brexit as a smokescreen to raise prices.

Unilever own some of the biggest brands in the UK - Persil, PG Tips, Dove, Hellmans etc.

And with Tesco's being the UKs biggest supermarket chain, this can't be good (other supermarkets have also said they would drop the brands as opposed to absorbing a price hike).

Do you think Brexit is really now affecting our supermarket shelves?

Sorry for the source (but would imagine it's in others too as heard it on the radio) HERE

OP posts:
Matchingbluesocks · 13/10/2016 07:55

Unilever appear to be using this as an excuse to hike up prices. 10 % is well over currency inflation (which they would be hedged against anyway to an extent) and tesco are nororiously bullish in such situations.

YouTheCat · 13/10/2016 07:58

I said this would happen pre-vote and got told I was scaremongering. Hmm

Just look how wonderful it all is, what with the pound at it's lowest rate for 168 years and stuff. Hmm

I'm one of the 48%. I'm in a facebook group and everything. Grin

TrojanWhore · 13/10/2016 07:59

Exchange rates and commodity prices are changing all the time.

Brexit is being used to grab headlines for what is essentially a totally routine issue.

Marmite being a national treasure (for some) giving it a good angle in placing the story.

MillionToOneChances · 13/10/2016 08:01

Get used to it. We import more than we export and the pound is sinking fast. Supermarket prices will definitely rise, and then I doubt they'll go back down.

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 13/10/2016 08:02

This is more to do with a pricing war between tesco and Unilever than Brexit.

AllPowerfulLizardPerson · 13/10/2016 08:05

"This is more to do with a pricing war between tesco and Unilever"

Strongly agree

Bearbehind · 13/10/2016 08:08

It also seems to be getting darker earlier! Has brexit stolen summer!?

wendy I know that in your little bubble Brexit is marvellous, hence inane comments like the above, but could you actually offer your opinion on this situation, which is a reality of the fallout of just talking about Brexit rather than sticking your head in the sand and pretending everything is rosy?

Tescos aren't being awkward, they're opposing a 10% hike by Unilever. This opposition won't last forever but the increased costs will be passed onto the consumers.

MorrisZapp · 13/10/2016 08:09

FB link from the Economist this morning suggesting Ben and Jerry's being dropped by supermarkets due to brexit?

Ohchristmastreeohchristmastree · 13/10/2016 08:09

If only there had been experts to warn us about this before the referendum......... oh wait! 😕

Matchingbluesocks · 13/10/2016 08:10

Uni lever make Ben and jerrys

FranHastings · 13/10/2016 08:11

Are we actually entirely self-sufficient in any food production currently?

MorrisZapp · 13/10/2016 08:12

Fuckinell...

morecoffee12 · 13/10/2016 08:14

Tesco chap used to work at Unilever - poacher turned gamekeeper. He knows what's going on here - Unilever made £2billion profit in the first 6 months of the year - when sterling was riding high, I didn't notice any price cuts from Unilever, did you ?

Brexit will undoubtably have an affect on prices, but I think the main factor at play here is a price war between Tesco and Unilever, as a huge multi national like Unilever would have massive currency hedging programmes in place for longer than 3 months. Will be interesting to see how other retailers deal with it.

When/if Deutsche Bank and the Italian banks collapse, and Merkel and Hollande get voted out and the euro collapses, do you think they'll offer us all a price cut??

Brokenbiscuit · 13/10/2016 08:15

wendy I know that in your little bubble Brexit is marvellous, hence inane comments like the above, but could you actually offer your opinion on this situation, which is a reality of the fallout of just talking about Brexit rather than sticking your head in the sand and pretending everything is rosy?

I don't think you'll get any honest acknowledgement from leavers about the negative impacts of Brexit. We'll be told that these things could have happened anyway, that they happen all the time, that it's just the multinational companies trying to scapegoat Brexit while merrily increasing their own profits.

The fact that we were warned about this stuff is irrelevant. That was scaremongering. The fact that it's now happening will be brushed under the carpet.

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 13/10/2016 08:15

Tescos aren't being awkward, they're opposing a 10% hike by Unilever

Unless you know the ins and outs of their trade agreements you have no way of knowing who is being awkward.

RufusTheSpartacusReindeer · 13/10/2016 08:17

Unilever are saying its down to brexit

I am quite happy to say that some stuff thats going to be blamed on brexit is people trying it on

But two quick things

  1. voting brexit means that people are now able to do naughty thing and then blame brexit

  2. we were all told that brexit would mean that prices would go up and things would be more expensive ....i even seem to remember seeing/hearing comments about "its all going to be worth it #takebackcontrol #it will all be fine)

Musicinthe00ssucks · 13/10/2016 08:19

Oh no! People might have to stop eating processed crap and buy supermarket own brand items rather than the leading manufacturer.

I need to lie down.

RufusTheSpartacusReindeer · 13/10/2016 08:20

Other people are so much quicker than me

Can anyone check and see if unilever doing anything nice, i dont like icecream and wouldn't be distressed giving up marmite

Please and thank you

RufusTheSpartacusReindeer · 13/10/2016 08:20

music

Who makes tesco own brand stuff?

Musicinthe00ssucks · 13/10/2016 08:24

Rufus I don't shop in Tesco. I also try not to eat processed food and buy my washing powder etc from Aldi.

BasinHaircut · 13/10/2016 08:28

Aldi are a German company, what will you do if their prices go up?

ErrolTheDragon · 13/10/2016 08:30

Prices will go up everywhere - not a sudden across the board 10%, but CPI and RPI will rise.

Shopping in a German supermarket selling more european brands ... oh yes, if everyone just does that it'll all be fine.....Hmm

MilkandAssal · 13/10/2016 08:30

Tesco won't massively miss out, there's a million other brands that will replace them, and if Asda et al stick to their guns then Unilever have shot themselves in the foot. The pound will regain strength, and they'll be rattling around in bargain bins in pound shops.

DrDreReturns · 13/10/2016 08:32

Prices will go up everywhere as pp said. We import a lot of food and it will all be more expensive with the weak pound. Eventually one supermarket will raise some prices then all the rest will follow suit.

Musicinthe00ssucks · 13/10/2016 08:35

Yes I am very aware that Aldi are German - thank you for pointing that out. It still doesn't change the fact that it will always be cheaper than buying Unilever products.

Let's be very clear that the whole of Europe is pretty fucked at the moment. As someone else said up thread the German and Italian banks are under threat, the Greek's have no economy and Merkel and Hollande are very unlikely to be voted back into office. The Euro will more than likely collapse. Not to mention America's terrifying threat of Trump as their President. I think the UK, being one of the world's biggest consumers, will have plenty of bargaining power.