Shame on Tesco - Removing Irish Brands from its Stores

darc · 25-04-2009 11:41am

The OP is rubbish. The main problem is people prefer to believe poor journalism rather than find out the exact story.

Newstalk were commenting on a Tesco press release.

The press release (it was an old one from last October regurgitated to make a headline) basically said that Tesco were going to bypass irish DISTRIBUTORS of UK manufactured products and supply their stores with this product directly from their main warehousing in the UK.

The statement also said quite clearly that this move would not affect ANY irish produced goods and that they remain commited to the millions they spend of Irish products.

Simple terms - distributors are not passing on sterling reductions to tesco, so tesco has told them to eff off and they'll use thier own trucks to bring the stuff from the UK and bring prices down.

Here's the relevant article -

"Tesco believes that a move to a global buying platform for branded goods - rather than buying from Irish distributors and agents - will help reduce the prices it pays for those products.

Sources at Tesco said the system currently used by the retailer was inefficient and exposed it to currency fluctuations.

The move will give the firm more control over its supply chain and currency risks, and allow it to capitalise on its international buying power.

The sources said the restructuring would be done on a phased basis in the coming months and stressed that the move would affect distributors, not Irish suppliers or producers."

GerardKeating · 25-04-2009 12:10pm

Brenan wrote: »

wmpdd3, my point is that Tesco are starting to remove a substantial number of Irish brands and Irish manufactured products from their stores, they are already doing this in their border stores (this is fact, any Irish supplier will tell you this), they are not as you say removing products that nobody was buying anyway, they are removing volume Irish sellers and replacing with volume UK sellers.

I am very surprised that you dont know this considering you work with Tesco??

You keep make claims, but offer no proof.

Please cite one single product that has been removed from the shelves.

Brenan · 25-04-2009 12:13pm

I can tell you that this is not rubbish, if you live near a border Tesco store you will see for yourself (IRISH BRANDS ARE BEING REMOVED FROM TESCO SHELVES) and I am very certain that Tesco are planning to remove Irish brands from ALL its stores over the next weeks.

darc, I think you miss my point, I do not disagree with Tesco bypassing the Irish distributor of UK or International maufactured products if it means that the retail prices on these products are reduced.

My point is, I disagree with Tesco removing Irish brands from its shelves to make room for a larger selection of UK/International brands.

Yes, Tesco did say quite clearly on Newtalk on Thursday that this move away from Irish distributors of UK/International brands would not affect ANY irish produced goods and that they remain commited to the millions they spend of Irish products, but I am telling you that this statement from Tesco was not truthful.

The reason why I wrote the post in the first place is precisely because Tesco are feeding the media information that suggestes Irish Manfactured products will not be affected by this move and the media have run with this story.

I can guarantee you Tesco are planning on removing hundreds and Irish produced products from its stores over the coming weeks and that is a huge concern for me and the thousands of other Irish jobs that are dependant on supplying Tesco (the biggest food retailer in Ireland) with Irish brands that Irish people have been loyal to for years.

GerardKeating · 25-04-2009 12:16pm

Brenan wrote: »

By the way, Keating, this is my first post as it’s the first time I have felt strongly enough about something to get on and write a post

A First time poster, who only join the board before he/she a scaremongering story and offers no facts or proofs to story, forgive me for being sceptical.

And one who claims a vested interest in the matter...

ongarite · 25-04-2009 12:16pm

Brenan wrote: »

I can tell you that this is not rubbish, if you live near a border Tesco store you will see for yourself (IRISH BRANDS ARE BEING REMOVED FROM TESCO SHELVES) and I am very certain that Tesco are planning to remove Irish brands from ALL its stores over the next weeks.

I ask again seeing as you know, can you name ANY Irish brand being removed from the shelves in certain Tescos?
Still all heresay and no proof.

ejmaztec · 25-04-2009 12:19pm

ongarite wrote: »

I ask again seeing as you know, can you name ANY Irish brand being removed from the shelves in certain Tescos?
Still all heresay and no proof.

Yep, Brenan must surely be able to name at least one item if he or she is that incensed.

darc · 25-04-2009 12:53pm

surely the affected brands / companies would be complaining to every media source in the country if this was true - they'd have nothing to lose.

But I hear silence.

Also, If if if this was true the Irish consumers would vote with their feet as we are one of the highest per capita purchasers of branded goods in the world! - Even Lidl & Aldi have branded goods in their Irish stores whereas in Germany they are 100% own brand.

I specifically make sure most of my shopping is Irish produced unless the price difference is very substantial.

BTW - its surprising what "irish" products are not made in Ireland!!

ejmaztec · 25-04-2009 1:26pm

darc wrote: »

BTW - its surprising what "irish" products are not made in Ireland!!

and then there's "Cuisine de France" ...................:pac:

GerardKeating · 25-04-2009 1:40pm

darc wrote: »

BTW - its surprising what "irish" products are not made in Ireland!!

I noticed before that a few "IRISH" cheese brands seems to have UK/NL or BE factory codes.

Moosh10 · 26-04-2009 11:33am

I think Fluffybums hit the nail on the head, people would understand the real effect of what Tesco are doing should just not shop there!

Problem is not many people are getting the real story.

By the way Keating- that's why I'm posting. The media aren't covering it & its the first time I've ever seen a thread that has reported on it accurately.

ongarite · 26-04-2009 12:02pm

Yawn...

Another newly registered user alleging this action by Tesco but YET AGAIN failing to back it up with ANY proof what so ever.

Cheese Princess · 26-04-2009 12:15pm

I wonder how many of you who are so concerned about the loss of Irish jobs actually do your grocery shopping in the North

darc · 26-04-2009 12:18pm

ejmaztec wrote: »

and then there's "Cuisine de France" ...................:pac:

The largest par-baked bread brand in France & UK - Made in Dublin!!! Operated by an Irish company & originally started & invented by two young lads!!

GerardKeating · 26-04-2009 12:29pm

Moosh10 wrote: »

I think Fluffybums hit the nail on the head, people would understand the real effect of what Tesco are doing should just not shop there!

Problem is not many people are getting the real story.

By the way Keating- that's why I'm posting. The media aren't covering it & its the first time I've ever seen a thread that has reported on it accurately.

Who said it was accurate, it's just unfound/unproved claims by someone with a stated vested interest and also who registered on boards.ie just before they posted, just like you did.

noodler · 26-04-2009 12:39pm

darc wrote: »

The largest par-baked bread brand in France & UK - Made in Dublin!!! Operated by an Irish company & originally started & invented by two young lads!!

Great bread though.

I think it would be a huge own goal for Tesco to do what the OP claims it is doing.

Anyway, Dunnes and Superquinn have their plus points. Tesco doesn't have all the answers (fresh veg for example).

jenzz · 26-04-2009 12:40pm

Ok Joe soap Tesco shopper here gonna throw a tuppence worth in. Local tesco in south Dublin direction has been "missing" a lot of brands since christmas. Im not a fussy shopper ie they dont have it ill choose something else. So thats what I did just substituted for other things. That was until my parents who are extreemly fussy shoppers ie. Set in their ways, retired couple who would only buy a certain brand , started giving out the other day about it. Mum has been asking in her branch & they just said oh sorry little old lady product is out of stock. She took it further & started ringing the suppliers & 4 out of her 8 missing brand suppliers told her they are in dispute with the retailer so they are not shipping their goods to them. They were also able to tell her to go to her local Dunnes stores & she could get them there. so could be linked or could be not linked but either way certain brands are " missing " from tesco & going solely to Dunnes.

ejmaztec · 26-04-2009 12:44pm

Cheese Princess wrote: »

I wonder how many of you who are so concerned about the loss of Irish jobs actually do your grocery shopping in the North

I wonder how "patriotic" the importers and distributors are. I wonder what profit margins they operate on before the goods get to the retailer. I wonder whether they can afford to reduce their margins, or whether they can arrange better details with foreign suppliers, so that the Irish retailer is on a more level playing-field.

GerardKeating · 26-04-2009 2:01pm

Brenan wrote: »

I can tell you that this is not rubbish, if you live near a border Tesco store you will see for yourself (IRISH BRANDS ARE BEING REMOVED FROM TESCO SHELVES) .

You Started this thread two days ago and have failed to cite even a single product that has been removed from any tesco outlet, border region or otherwise.

GerardKeating · 26-04-2009 2:03pm

jenzz wrote: »

Ok Joe soap Tesco shopper here gonna throw a tuppence worth in. Local tesco in south Dublin direction has been "missing" a lot of brands since christmas. Im not a fussy shopper ie they dont have it ill choose something else. So thats what I did just substituted for other things. That was until my parents who are extreemly fussy shoppers ie. Set in their ways, retired couple who would only buy a certain brand , started giving out the other day about it. Mum has been asking in her branch & they just said oh sorry little old lady product is out of stock. She took it further & started ringing the suppliers & 4 out of her 8 missing brand suppliers told her they are in dispute with the retailer so they are not shipping their goods to them. They were also able to tell her to go to her local Dunnes stores & she could get them there. so could be linked or could be not linked but either way certain brands are " missing " from tesco & going solely to Dunnes.

Maybe in the same way that the Irish Time is missing from Dunnes for the past few months...

Moosh10 · 26-04-2009 2:22pm

Not sure how anyone can start listing things as its only starting to happen - the real effects will be realised over the next few weeks.

Key thing is to undersand the power of Tesco in Ireland. If they remove an Irish brand to make room for UK stock the manufacturer obviously has then has less demand.

This 1n turn affects their capacity to produce. For example if they normally make 1000 & sell 1000, Tesco who are over 25% of market remove them. Suddenly they are not working to capacity & may be forced to pull certain iems as it just doesn't make sense to produce them whilst working under capacity.

This is I think why this thread was started, to let people know the ball has startd rolling...............

ejmaztec · 26-04-2009 2:34pm

Moosh10 wrote: »

Not sure how anyone can start listing things as its only starting to happen - the real effects will be realised over the next few weeks.

Key thing is to undersand the power of Tesco in Ireland. If they remove an Irish brand to make room for UK stock the manufacturer obviously has then has less demand.

This 1n turn affects their capacity to produce. For example if they normally make 1000 & sell 1000, Tesco who are over 25% of market remove them. Suddenly they are not working to capacity & may be forced to pull certain iems as it just doesn't make sense to produce them whilst working under capacity.

This is I think why this thread was started, to let people know the ball has startd rolling...............

We only wanted at least one example to think about, but there still seems to be a reluctance to provide us with one. It can't be that hard, surely?

Hagar · 26-04-2009 2:48pm

Put yourself in Tesco's shoes. If they start buying in extra products for Ireland from suppliers that they already use in the UK they can get better prices from those suppliers than they could from their Irish supplier. It was bound to happen eventually.

Does nobody else remember the concerns voiced that this would happen when Tesco originally came to Ireland? Tesco were prepared to accept some loss of margin by using Irish suppliers to overcome the unexpected hostility they faced when they were setting up in Ireland. They hadn't anticipated it but they swallowed it down at the time. With the economy the way it is in Ireland and Britain they are no longer going to worry too much about a bit of public disquiet.

The honeymoon with Irish suppliers is over. The reality will become apparent as contracts with suppliers come up for renewal.

Steo46 · 26-04-2009 4:53pm

Nobody mentioned that Tesco employs lot of Irish people in their stores here.

GerardKeating · 26-04-2009 5:44pm

Steo46 wrote: »

Nobody mentioned that Tesco employs lot of Irish people in their stores here.

I don't think the OP is actually interested in facts...

Sir Oxman · 26-04-2009 6:06pm

As an aside, just because the posters who are saying Tesco are beginning the process of trunking in a huge amount of products from the UK have only just registered, that doesn't mean a thing.
Maybe they are longtime posters who don't want their posts tied to their place of employment however small a chance that may be.

I would suggest any readers keep an open mind - it will be interesting to see over the next few months what will unfold in the major retail market in Ireland.

Fluffybums · 26-04-2009 6:12pm

If the OP proves to be correct, stop shopping at Tesco and encourage your friends and relatives to stop shopping there.
If Tesco lose enough customers they will either pull out of the Irish economy or change their stock. If I were the CEO of Tesco I'd pull out of the Republic of Ireland, open a couple more stores on the border with big carparks and count the profit and reduced bad publicity.:rolleyes:

Sir Oxman · 26-04-2009 6:36pm

Why the hell would I want Tesco, who directly employ over 13,000 in the Republic, to pull out of the country?

I am interested in what's happening and will happen in the retail market in this country, most observers note that it's the distributors and importers that inflate prices enormously in this country - people are demanding lower prices now, the interesting bit is at what cost?

Ailish :) · 26-04-2009 7:07pm

I've been following all the replies on this and find it fascinating to see how the topic has changed to the validity of the claim. Just because specific products or brands are not named at this point, does not mean that there is no substance behind the claim that Tesco are going to move away from Irish suppliers. Let's not be a Doubting Thomas.

If if we cast our mind back to the Pork Recall in December...the Irish Farmers Journal reported on how Tesco wrote to Irish pigmeat suppliers, in an attempt to re-coup 'lost profit'. This came as a complete surprise, as it was a State Recall so any request for compensation should have been directed to the State, not the supplier. Pork suppliers who spoke to The Irish Farmers Journal did not want to be named, but expressed anger and decribed the behaviour as 'typical Tesco bullyboy tactics' (as per Irish Farmers Journal Jan 09).

The fact that they did not want to be named says it all. Irish suppliers are gently held over a barrell and there is a general acknowledgement that if one steps out of line, they should be ready to face the consequences. So for these reasons, I am not surprised in the least that products are not named.

It is true that Tesco provide employment to many Irish people, but the overall point is that it is extremely worrying to think of what lies ahead for Irish suppliers and their respective employees if Tesco roll-out these new plans.

P.S. Before anyone points it out, yes I am a new-bie and this is my first post! I regularly read but never felt the compulsion to post a reply until now.

ch750536 · 26-04-2009 7:50pm

Knowing pretty much all there is to know about tesco I believe I can shed some light on the situation here.

You see, Tesco is a monster in all senses of the word. It is a remorseless unforgiving beast that will not stop[ until it has 99% of the market (by their own words).

They are happy to cut off one of their own legs if it means they win in the long term.

They have nobody elses interests at heart other than its own.

To be honest, it is already too late. Too many suckers with clubcards.

ejmaztec · 26-04-2009 7:57pm

Ailish wrote: »

I've been following all the replies on this and find it fascinating to see how the topic has changed to the validity of the claim. Just because specific products or brands are not named at this point, does not mean that there is no substance behind the claim that Tesco are going to move away from Irish suppliers. Let's not be a Doubting Thomas.

If if we cast our mind back to the Pork Recall in December...the Irish Farmers Journal reported on how Tesco wrote to Irish pigmeat suppliers, in an attempt to re-coup 'lost profit'. This came as a complete surprise, as it was a State Recall so any request for compensation should have been directed to the State, not the supplier. Pork suppliers who spoke to The Irish Farmers Journal did not want to be named, but expressed anger and decribed the behaviour as 'typical Tesco bullyboy tactics' (as per Irish Farmers Journal Jan 09).

The fact that they did not want to be named says it all. Irish suppliers are gently held over a barrell and there is a general acknowledgement that if one steps out of line, they should be ready to face the consequences. So for these reasons, I am not surprised in the least that products are not named.

It is true that Tesco provide employment to many Irish people, but the overall point is that it is extremely worrying to think of what lies ahead for Irish suppliers and their respective employees if Tesco roll-out these new plans.

P.S. Before anyone points it out, yes I am a new-bie and this is my first post! I regularly read but never felt the compulsion to post a reply until now.

There are so many people hiding under the anonymity of the internet, we would all be stupid to believe anything that was unfounded. For all we know, the OP could be working for Dunnes, or any other Tesco competitor.

We still haven't had details of one single item removed from Tesco's shelves.

If someone posts that we're all going to die of the Bubonic plague at 3 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, are we supposed to believe them without any proof?

Shame on Tesco - Removing Irish Brands from its Stores

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