British supermarkets go to war over the Irish pound as Tesco removes Irish food from 202 stores
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British supermarkets go to war over the Irish pound as Tesco removes Irish food from 202 stores

BRITISH supermarkets Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's have been quick to reassure Irish shoppers that they will not be removing their Irish products from their World Foods aisles.

The news comes after The Irish Post revealed exclusively this week that Tesco would be removing its Irish food sections from over 200 of its British stores.

Tesco currently stocks 58 Irish products in its stores, including some of the best loved Irish brands.

The supermarket giant will no longer stock 49 Irish products and will be moving the remaining nine into their main ranges.

The news has been met with anger by shoppers, some of whom have claimed they will take their custom elsewhere.

Noor Ali, a spokesperson from Morrisons, said the retailer would not be cutting back on its Irish food section any time soon.

"It is really important to have to right range to meet the needs of our customers in different communities,"she said.

"Irish food is still very popular and sales are growing. We have no plans to reduce our range."

Sainsbury's said that, far from cutting back, they would be expanding their Irish food range in Britain.

A spokesperson said: “Our Irish food range is performing strongly and we plan to increase the number of stores stocking the range.”

Asda has never had a specific Irish food section within their World Foods aisle, with Irish products incorporated into other lines.

However, the supermarket has added an extra 34 Irish products to its main ranges in the last month.

A spokesperson said: “At Asda we understand what our customers want, which is why we’ve introduced 34 more lines into our UK stores from our Irish suppliers.”

British retailers Tesco have also come under fire in Ireland as a row over planned changes to pay and rosters for staff working in 140 stores across the country almost ended in strike action this week.

The strike, which was due to start on Thursday, has been deferred as both sides return to talks at the Workplace Relations Commission.