Tesco to Remove Sweets and Chocolates from UK Checkouts

22 May 2014 --- Tesco has announced it will stop sweets and chocolates being sold at checkouts at its stores in the UK, in a bid to help customers make healthier choices. The UK supermarket giant will complete this project by the end of this year.

The supermarket plans to remove sweets from the till areas from its 1,800 smaller stores (Tesco Metro and Express stores) in Britain and Ireland, having carried out consumer research into the issue. Larger Tesco stores (a total of 740 stores) stopped selling sweets at checkouts 20 years ago. At the time Tesco was the first British supermarket to remove sweets and chocolates from checkouts.

Tesco said its research identified that around 65% of customers questioned said removing confectionery from checkouts would help them make healthier choices. The survey also found that 67% said it would help them choose healthier options for their children.

“We know how easy it is to be tempted by sugary snacks at the checkout, and we want to help our customers to lead healthier lives,” said chief executive Philip Clarke. “We’ve already removed billions of calories from our soft drinks, sandwiches and ready meals ranges…. And we will continue to look for opportunities to take out more.”

Earlier this year Lidl announced it had introduced a policy to remove confectionery from checkouts at its 600 stores. The retailer replaced sweets with dried and fresh fruit and oatcakes. Meanwhile, the Co-operative and Sainsbury’s are believed to have imposed similar bans in their stores, although not currently at the smaller stores.

Katie O’Donovan from Mumsnet said: “Popping into a shop with a small child in tow can sometimes feel like navigating an assault course. If you have made it to the checkout in one piece it can be really frustrating to then be faced with an unhealthy array of sweets designed to tempt your child. It’s really positive to see a supermarket responding to the views of their customers and trying to make life that little bit easier.”

The retailer plans to test a range of healthier products at checkouts before implementing a complete change across all stores.