UK may run out of Quality Street this Christmas as Nestle warns of supply issues

Nestle said it is “working hard” to make sure there are Quality Street tins available for shoppers this festive season. The chocolate manufacturer is the latest business to be hit by supply chain issues

Fears have been raised of a Quality Street shortage this Christmas as manufacturer Nestle said it is experiencing supply chain issues.

The chocolate giant confirmed it is the latest business to be impacted by the lorry driver crisis.

Mark Schneider, the chief executive of Nestle, said delays with shipping are also causing issues in getting goods to stores.

But Nestle said it is “working hard” to make sure there are Quality Street tins available for shoppers this festive season.

There are no indication to suggest shops have started running out of Quality Street, with many stores already stocking the Christmas favourite in time for December.

Nestle, which also makes Lion bars, Aero and KitKat, is the world’s largest producer of dairy products.

Mr Schneider told the BBC: “Like other businesses, we are seeing some labour shortages and some transportation issues but it’s our UK team’s top priority to work constructively with retailers to supply them.”

A spokesperson from Nestle separately told The Mirror: “We are working hard to mitigate those issues and are not seeing a material impact on supply.

“Our factory in Halifax manufactures up to 12 million Quality Street sweets every day and there will be plenty to go around this Christmas.”

Shops have already selling Christmas stock over warnings the UK faces months of shortages.

It comes after the boss of Iceland warned ongoing delivery issues could effectively “cancel” Christmas as supermarkets struggle to replenish shelves.

Are you worried about shortages this Christmas? Let us know in the comments.

All major supermarkets – including Big Four grocers Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Asda – have seen shelves left empty in recent weeks.

But Tesco boss John Allan urged people not to panic-buy.

“There may be some shortages”, but people should not “over-dramatise” and panic-buy, he told the BBC.

The shortage of HGV drivers is due to a combination of Covid, Brexit and other factors, and has led to growing concerns about deliveries of food and fuel.

There is a backlog of driver tests while some lorry drivers have decided not to return to the UK after Brexit.

The lorry crisis has led desperate firms to dramatically increase wages and offer starter incentives in recent weeks in hopes of attracting new drivers to plug the gaps.

We’ve rounded up all the items that are in short supply – from bread to toys and Christmas trees.

Separately, Geoff Sheffield, chief commercial officer of toy chain The Entertainer, urged parents to be prepared to avoid disappointment this Christmas.

He saidToy shops across the UK have been issuing warnings about the possibility of a limited supply in stock by the time December 25 arrives.