Booker is to delist top 25 bestselling Euro Shopper chocolate blocks, replacing them with an alternative that has a 33% drop in average margin. 

In a communication sent to stores, the firm said the Milk and White Chocolate Euro Shopper 100g variants are to be replaced with a new Salut range. The previous 85p price-marked range had margins of 30%, in comparison to Salut, which has margins of 20% when sold at the £1 RRP. This represents a 33% decrease in average profit for stores. 

There will be four Salut variants available, including Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate with Fruit & Nut, Milk Chocolate with Hazelnut and White Chocolate. Better Retailing understands the introduction of Salut has been delayed past its expected June rollout. Additionally, Better Retailing understands that the decision to replace the Euro Shopper lines has been caused by rises in production costs from Euro Shopper’s manufacturer.  

According to till data from RDP, the Milk and White Chocolate Euro Shopper variants rank 16th and 18th, respectively, in the top 25 best-selling chocolate blocks sold across independent convenience. Both products are sold by more than 70% of independent convenience stores, with the Milk Chocolate variant generating £1.04 in average weekly profit. 

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Mo Razzaq, of Premier Mo’s in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, said: “I am seeing delays. Salut was meant to come in several weeks ago and hasn’t. It’s a substitute of the Euro Shopper chocolate, but the problem is the difference in margin. 

“I’m not really too fussed about it. If it’s not making me the margin, I don’t see the point in it. We’re used to delays now, ever since Brexit. The supply chain hasn’t recovered from Covid and Brexit. We’ve never asked why there has been delays, because we’re just not bothered. I’m not going to stock it unless it is price-marked. I don’t agree with making 20% on chocolate.” 

Natalie Lightfoot, of Londis Solo Convenience in Glasgow, added: “We bought up a lot of the Euro Shopper stock because the chocolate is being delisted. 

“I think the Salut chocolate is there to fill the gap. We sell a lot of the white Euro Shopper chocolate rather than the milk chocolate because we’ve got a lot of bakers in the area. They like that chocolate as an option for baking. 

“At the moment, we’ve not had to look for its replacement, so for us it’s not a big deal that it’s not come out just yet.” 

Booker was unable to comment as our sister publication RN went to print. 

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