Fizzy drinks shortage/withdraw from retailers

tghe-retford

I wonder if anyone else has noticed a recent issue with Pepsi products that is now being noted by other people on social networks. Some stores have withdrawn Pepsi from sale and put Coca-Cola products in their space and others who are still stocking it are significantly reducing their offerings, reducing the size of the bottles they are selling and/or increasing prices beyond inflation. Iceland has withdrawn 3l bottles and my local one only has a small variety in stock at increased prices. My local Co-op no longer stocks it, replaced with Coca-Cola. Home Bargains hasn't sold it in my local store for months. The convenience store near work is no longer selling it. I've seen anecdotal reports on social media that some ASDA stores have not had it on sale for a week.

I am aware that prices rose at the beginning of July - 2l bottles are now a minimum of £1.50 (after another successive inflation busting price hike and some retailers applying the Sugar Tax to even Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Max). People will immediately jump to the answer being the recent CO2 shortage - but why I think this is less of a cause is that Coca-Cola products, alcoholic beverages, crumpets and meat products which also require CO2 are not affected anywhere near as much, if at all.

What would be causing the shortage or withdrawal of Pepsi products in retailers across the UK?

dlusman

Britvic ( Pepsi bottlers ) where believed to be worst hit of the major manufacturers
https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/stores/supply-chain/beer-fizzy-drinks-chicken-and-meat-hit-by-co2-shortages/568454.article

Lorian

also exacerbated by the sugar tax - Coke looks really expensive to me now - and for often if included in a meal deal the bottle size is smaller.

tghe-retford

dlusman wrote: »

Britvic ( Pepsi bottlers ) where believed to be worst hit of the major manufacturers
https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/stores/supply-chain/beer-fizzy-drinks-chicken-and-meat-hit-by-co2-shortages/568454.article

That's what's everyone is speculating but it seems odd that other products are on sale as normal. If it is purely down to the CO2 shortage, how has it got to the point where Britvic is so reliant on the supplies and badly affected where other CO2 users including their direct competitors are fine? It also seems odd that retailers have replaced it with Coca-Cola products at the same time as a price increase - if it was purely down to the CO2 shortage, wouldn't notices and apologies be the order of the day there? But no, a number of retailers have just shrunk or withdrawn their offerings.

dlusman

May depend on where they get their Co2 from. If Coca-Cola got most of their gas from a supplier who where still open , but Pepsi got it from ones that where shut, they they would be affected differently

KxMx

2l bottles of Lemonade are starting to disappear... Some unavailable at Tesco a few weeks ago now Iceland.

robin58

tghe-retford wrote: »

That's what's everyone is speculating but it seems odd that other products are on sale as normal. If it is purely down to the CO2 shortage, how has it got to the point where Britvic is so reliant on the supplies and badly affected where other CO2 users including their direct competitors are fine? It also seems odd that retailers have replaced it with Coca-Cola products at the same time as a price increase - if it was purely down to the CO2 shortage, wouldn't notices and apologies be the order of the day there? But no, a number of retailers have just shrunk or withdrawn their offerings.

No retailer likes a blank shelf, puts off punters coming back as it gives the impression that they are bad stock stockers.

If the only current suppliers are Coke and they can keep up the supply, then any shop would replace it with a company whose stock is available.

In this weather you make hay while the sun shines.

deely

got a 2l bottle Pepsi Max from Asda this evening but they did have notices out advising about the CO2 problems leading to some stock issues

[Deleted User]

The 17 pence no thrills bottle are just as good for cleaning toilets.
People don!!!8217;t actually drink that stuff anymore do they?

System

The CO2 shortage, the warm weather and World Cup are all contributing to the shortage.

EightOfHearts

I have visited Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco and Morrisons and none have any own brand ginger beer in stock. What is the reason for this as they do have other Carbonated drinks in stock