Lidl have taken a cheeky swipe at rivals Marks & Spencer after it emerged that the British retailer's supply of Percy Pig sweets to Ireland could be under threat.
The beloved pink candies are among the more than 2,000 products sold in M&S food halls that are facing new tariffs due to the “rules of origin” regulations set out in the trade deal the UK struck with the EU.
The supply of Percy Pigs to Ireland is posing a problem for Marks & Spencer as they are made in Germany and brought to the UK before being re-exported here – a journey that would now be subject to import taxes.
The complexity of rule-of-origin regulations means that businesses such as M&S will, as Marks & Spencer Chief Executive Officer Steve Rowe revealed on Friday, require “an expensive workaround” to avoid paying new duties on products such as Percy Pigs.
It has led to fears that sweets could soon be gone from Irish shelves, and Lidl Ireland has taken the opportunity to reassure customers that their own Henry Hippo candies won't be disappearing anytime soon.
Sharing an article on the new tariffs facing Percy Pigs on their official Twitter page, Lidl Ireland wrote: "Rest assured, Henry Hippos remain unaffected."
Marks & Spencer’s Irish stores have already been hit with food shortages this week due to Brexit.
In a statement, Marks & Spencer said that Brexit was to blame for near-empty fresh-food aisles at a number of its stores in Ireland.
