When asked about the glaring shortages, one major retailer told the Guardian that “[it] it appears that a production issue at the end of Mars may be causing gaps between retailers.” In response, Mars Wrigley, the company behind Mars, Snickers, Bounty and Twix bars, said it was “experiencing high levels of demand” but added it wanted to “reassure the British public that our favorite brands are still available in national level “. It comes a month after US chocolate maker Hershey warned of shortages, saying the company “will not be able to fully meet consumer demand”. Nestlé, which makes KitKats and other chocolate brands, blamed “significant and unprecedented cost inflation” for a 6.5% price increase in the first half of this year. The Guardian visited a handful of Tesco stores in London this week to check availability and found a mixed picture. At a store in Walthamstow, north-east London, on August 23, there was a gap on the shelf where standard Mars bars should have been, although there were many other brands of chocolate bars in stock. When we returned to the same store later in the week, there were no packs of Mars Duo bars either. There was a sticker on an empty shelf that said the next delivery was expected on September 10th. At another Tesco in Walthamstow, there were no Mars Duo or Snickers Duo packs on the shelves at the time of the visit. A Tesco in Camden, north London, had sold out of Snickers Duo by August 29, while Twix white chocolate bars had sold out, with an expected delivery date of September 9. Twix Xtra bars were available, as well as a handful of Mars Duo packs. Empty Mars bar shelves at Tesco in Walthamstow. Photo: Rupert Jones/The Guardian At a Tesco in King’s Cross, north London, standard single Mars, Snickers, Bounty and Twix bars were available, but empty shelves and “sorry, out of stock” stickers where Mars Duo, Snickers Duo and Snickers four-packs. it should be. When the Guardian checked Tesco’s website on Friday, it said the four Mars, Snickers and Bounty bars had sold out. However, he only had Mars bars that day. On Asda’s website, some Mars bar products were out of stock, including four-packs, snack-sized multi-packs and low-calorie snack bar multi-packs. However, it also had standard single bars in stock. Subscribe to Business Today Get ready for the business day – we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Other supermarket websites – including Sainsbury’s and Morrisons – appeared to have most if not all brands in stock. It was not immediately clear whether the stock shortages at some outlets were related to the bars’ production or supply chain or retailer-specific issues. In the UK, Mars bars are still produced in the same factory where the first bars were made by hand in 1932. The company says on its website that at this factory in Slough, Berkshire, “we can make almost 3 million bars a day” . A Mars Wrigley spokesman said: “We are experiencing high levels of demand for some of our treats.” They added: “We are producing significant quantities and want to reassure the British public that our favorite brands are still available across the country.” Tesco declined to comment.
