The maker of Quality Street has said it is “working hard” to make sure the Christmasfavourite is on shelves before Dec 25 as it admitted of being hit by the ongoing supply chaincrisis which is threatening to detail the winter holiday for millions this year, reports stated today (7).
Nestle, which also makes Lion bars, Aero and KitKat, admitted it has been experiencing some supply problems but is desperately trying to ensure that its products - including the popular Quality Street tins - are available for Britons this Christmas.
“We are seeing some labour shortages and some transportation issues but it's our UK team's top priority to work constructively with retailers to supply them,” Chief executive Mark Schneider told the BBC.
When asked whether he could guarantee Quality Street would be in the shops this Christmas, he told the broadcaster, “We are working hard”.
Nestle’s statement comes a day after it was reported that mass culling of pigs has begun in the UK owing to shortage of butchers. About 150,000 animals under threat of being culled in the next week. The reports of crisis in the meat industry come amid woes caused by a lack of HGV drivers leading to availability of fuel at petrol stations and pressure on supply chain leading to shortage and empty shelves in the stores.
There have been reports of industry experts warning Britons to buy their Christmas dinner in advance and even keep it in the freezer as fears grow over supermarkets running out of festive items including pigs in blankets and other party foods in the run up to Dec 25.
Meanwhile, British Chambers of Commerce said on Tuesday (5) that nearly two-thirds of UK manufacturers plan to raise their prices in the run-up to Christmasdue to rising inflation. It’s survey found 62 per cent of industrial firms expect to increase their prices over the next three months - the highest result since data gathering began at the end of the 1980s and far over the previous record of 38 per cent in 2008.
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Alex Rimmer