Asda has delisted two pioneer brand Fairtrade coffee products and replaced them with own-label lines, reports The Grocer.
The retailer told the food industry weekly that it was delisting Cafédirect and Clipper instant coffees because they hadn’t met sales expectations. But it said it would continue with Percol instant coffee.
However, Cafédirect says its overall listings with Asda have actually increased, which it describes as a “fine achievement under difficult trading conditions”.
One coffee supplier speculated that smaller brands were finding it tough trading against multinational companies like Nestlé. “Sales are marketing driven. The instant coffee market is not price-driven — it is about brand awareness.”
