PANIC STATIONS: Arnott’s Blocking Supply Of Tim Tams Over Price Dispute

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Published

November 30, 2015

It’s alright. It’s ok. Everyone breathe. Inhale to a count of 4. Hold for 7. Exhale for 8. Repeat. Think happy thoughts.

We can deal with this.

This isn’t that bad.

Everything’s fine.

Everything’s fi-JESUS TAPDANCING CHRIST THIS IS THE END OF TIMES.

A bitter dispute over price hiking has lead to a stand-off between biscuit manufacturer Arnott’s and supermarket giant Coles has erupted, leading to the bikkie lords taking the highly unusual step of simply not supplying Coles with their product.

The dispute means that Coles stores nationwide either have dwindling stocks of – or simply do not have – certain varieties of Tim Tams and other assorted Arnott’s biscuits.

The whole shemozzle began back in October, when Arnott’s – who is now wholly owned by US soup giant Campbell’s – demanded a 10% price hike which Coles flat-out refused, which Arnott’s reacted to by simply ceasing supply.

Coles did wind up begrudgingly accepting price rises of between 2.2% and 9.9% on a range of Arnott’s products – up to 44 in total – but a further ten were simply deleted from the supermarket shelves when the retailer refused to accept the price hike on them, arguing that they were difficult to find on shelves to begin with.

Among those products affected by the increase were items like Scotch Fingers, Teddy Bears, TeeVee Snacks, and Monte Carlos.

The standoff means that Coles is – for the time being – not stocking some of the more popular Tim Tam varieties, like Adriano Zumbo‘s Coconut Cream, Choc Raspberry, and Salted Caramel variations, as well as the original Tim Tam multi-pack.

Coles has refused to pass on the price hikes to consumers in the middle of an increasingly competitive supermarket battle against Woolworths and ALDI, after conducting its own research and discovering material costs for biscuit production have either remained stable, or in some cases fallen, over the past 12 months.

Arnott’s allegedly demanded a price hike in October, which was to be followed by another one early next year. It’s believed Woolworths was given the same demands.

Again, try to breathe. Everyone remain calm.