Tesco’s blow to traditional British cuppa

THE nation’s love affair with the traditional cuppa has been dealt another blow after Tesco announced it was scrapping 16 old-fashioned teas for trendy herbal alternatives.

The UK’s biggest supermarket will clear its shelves of some packs of black tea – ie, the kind that goes with milk and sugar – by household names PG Tips and Typhoo as sales decline.

Among the delistings are PG Tips’ 100g packs of English Breakfast and Earl Grey tea bags. In their place will be 33 fashionable ‘infusions’ by the lesser-known brands Pukka and Pure Leaf – including green and fruit teas and even a special one for pregnant women.

Tea sales fell 5 per cent last year, with black tea’s share dropping from 76 to 71 per cent of total sales. Anita Winther, of analysts Mintel, told The Grocer magazine that Tesco’s decision ‘appeals to younger shoppers who are the biggest drinkers of herbal and fruit teas’.