NEWS
4 ASIAN TRADER 21 MARCH 2025
Almost a third of online
deliveries from big supermar-
kets such as Tesco and Aldi
included a swapped item, many
of which were deemed as
“completely inappropriate” by
shoppers, shows a recent poll.
According to Which? 29% of
online grocery shoppers
received a substitution, some
receiving unexpected replace-
ments like fish steaks instead of
cupcakes, and sanitary towels in
place of sandwich wraps, from
Morrisons.
Asda ranks as worst, with
almost half of Asda shoppers
receiving a replacement
product such as bananas instead
of pizza, or a roasting tin in place
of roast potatoes.
Up to one third (32%) of
Sainsbury’s customers found a
substitution in their latest shop,
and among the more bizarre
examples were beef dog treats
instead of beef steaks and leeks
instead of flowers.
Unlike most independent
convenience stores who try to
reach out to the shopper before
making a swap, supermarkets
tend to consider computer-gen-
erated options based on factors
such as brand similarity, the
price and availability.
Supermarkets under fire over
‘inappropriate’ order substitution
Unintended consequences
ince we mentioned inflation in the previous issue it’s
been all tarif-talk, as President Trump has unleashed
his economic warfare on friend and foe alike – convert-
ing any remaining friends of the USA into foes practically
overnight and potentially stoking ... higher prices.
Similarly, the USA has decided that Europe and democra-
cy in general is not worth the bother and might instead
throw in its lot with the Dictators Club, walking away from
Europe and soon taking its weapons and troops (and trade)
with it.
What all this will mean for the UK economy is hard to tell
so far, although many voices are being raised that predict
good outcomes for a Europe that will be forced to wake up,
man-up, re-industrialise and begin to learn how to survive
without Daddy Warbucks guaranteeing everything.
Goosing Euro economies by placing them on a semi
war-footing (increasing defence spend and growing the
armaments industries) could prove a shot in the arm.
For retail, however, tarifs are described as a tax on the
consumer, who will be forced to pay more (by the amount of
the tarif, plus admin fees and so on), not just for whatever is
imported directly but for almost everything else as well,
because home-produced goods also contain foreign inputs
and ingredients whose price has gone up. You might raise
your veg domestically but import the potash that helps it
grow, for example.
Of course, the point of this antidote – or kryptonite – to
free-trade is that it hurts the foreign competitor even more,
and persuades it to cease its bad behaviour. In the USA this is
(among other gripes) China pouring fentanyl over the
Mexican and Canadian borders to the extent that it is killing
70,000 Americans a year.
Meanwhile the tarif-targeted countries naturally
retaliate by imposing restrictions on their own imports,
hurting the exports of the USA or whatever country fired the
first shot in the trade war. An image to keep in mind is of two
men with their hands around each other’s throats: who will
pass out first?
Meanwhile, the new financial year hurtles towards us
and with it the Reeves revolution of cost increases – NI
hikes, minimum wage becoming maximum cash, business
rates up (did one person just say theirs was to increase by
140%?), plus the vape ban and more time-consuming and
costly recycling rules being imposed.
Coming on top of economic crunches and uncertainty
caused by military conflict and trade war, it is certainly time
to batten down the hatches, because it looks as if this will be
a real typhoon to navigate – so keep your prow pointed into
the waves as they come: don’t try to turn away, but head into
the storm to come through it the other side.
This means selling the right stuf – capitalising on food to
go (see the feature in this issue), taking full advantage of all
the ever-cheaper tech now available to the smaller retailer,
and beating the multiples at their own game – being respon-
sive where they are clumsy – especially with delivery.
In response to reports that
rolling tobacco is now more
valuable per gram than
precious metals such as silver,
Imperial Brands is encourag-
ing retailers to ask their local
MP to rethink excessive
levels of excise applied to
tobacco products to avoid an
upsurge in crime and abuse
against retailers.
Last November’s budget
applied a Recommended Price
Index (RPI) + 12% excise rate on
hand-rolling tobacco products
in the UK.
The UK now has the highest
excise duty in Europe – six
times higher than in Spain, and
five times higher than in
Germany.
Andrew Malm, UK Market
Manager for Imperial Brands,
said, “We now have a situation
whereby hand rolling tobacco
is more valuable per gram than
silver, making local retailers
and convenience store owners
in the UK as much of a target to
thieves as jewellery stores.
“Not only does this taxation
drive UK consumer spending
elsewhere – as, for example, a
30g pouch of rolling tobacco is
now four times more expen-
sive in the UK compared to
Spain – but it also contributes
to the issue of retail crime and
illicit trade.
Malm’s plea comes weeks
after a report stated that the
cost of tobacco has turned
convenience stores into
targets for organised crime, as
it is now worth more than
silver per gram.
Successive tax hikes on
rolling tobacco means that a
50g pouch of Amber Leaf now
costs 87p a gram – compared to
83p for silver.
It has encouraged gangs to
target not only stores but also
delivery vans.
RYO tobacco is now ‘more expensive than silver’
Imperial condemns
Imperial condemns
tobacco excise levels
tobacco excise levels