Tesco pulls Heineken brands from its shelves

BRITAIN’S BIGGEST supermarket Tesco has pulled eight Heineken brands, including Amstel, Sol and Kingfisher beer, from its shelves, as part of a move to refine its alcoholic beverages offer.

A spokeswoman for the grocer confirmed reports that Tesco has for over a month also been stocking fewer pack sizes for 16 other Heineken brands, meaning that in total 24 out of 53 of the Dutch brewer’s brands are affected by the range re-set.

“It’s very much part of the way we review our ranges as we’ve done across the rest of the business,” she said, noting that Tesco was keen to avoid duplication and find space for innovation, such as the increasingly popular craft beers.

She denied that Tesco’s move was a response to an attempt by Heineken to push through price rises following the depreciation of sterling in the wake of last year’s Brexit vote.

“For us it’s about making sure we have the right offer and range for our customers,” she said.

Last October Tesco had a spat with Unilever, dubbed ‘Marmitegate’, over who should take the hit from the weaker pound.

Unilever warned that the price of Marmite and other products were set to rise as a result of the collapse in sterling, with experts saying that consumers could have to stomach more pain.

Tesco, which is Britain’s biggest supermarket, pulled the product from its online site in a stand-off over pricing with shortages also reported on shelves.