One in three shops are in short supply of crisps – more than a week after Walkers suffered an IT failure.
New figures released show that 4% of shops visited between 12 and 15 November had no multipacks of crisps for sale.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today said 26% of stores also had a limited supply of stock.
It comes after one of the biggest brand in the market – Walkers – admitted production delays due to an IT failure last week.
The shortage is a result of Walkers, owned by PepsiCo, scaling back production at the start of the month following problems with an IT upgrade that has since been fixed.
The ONS report also reported an improvement in the availability of frozen turkeys.
At that time, the company said it was prioritising production of its most popular flavours including Cheese & Onion, Ready Salted and Salt & Vinegar, as well as Quavers and Wotsits from its snacks range.
The woes at Walkers are not expected to run beyond this month, as supplies are tipped to be back to normal well in time for Christmas.
Walkers shortage explained
Last week Walkers confirmed that its supply chain had been disrupted due to an IT upgrade.
It is understood the technical issue had been fixed fairly quickly, but the technical issue led to delays on production lines.
A Walkers spokesman said: “A recent IT system upgrade has disrupted the supply of some of our products.
“Our sites are still making crisps and snacks but at a reduced scale.
“We're doing everything we can to increase production and get people's favourites back on shelves. We're very sorry for the inconvenience caused.”
Have you noticed a lack of Walkers in your local supermarket? Let us know in the comments.
How long will it last and what flavours are affected?
Walkers has said it is prioritising its most popular crisp flavours, including cheese and onion, ready salted and salt and vinegar, as well as Quavers and Wotsits.
It is understood that the issue will be resolved by the end of the month.
It doesn’t seem to be just one flavour that has been affected by the issue.
Crisps including classic ready salted Walkers to Quavers have been in short supply, with customers struggling to get hold of packs in supermarkets.
Shoppers have also complained about a lack of Monster Munch and Squares.
One person tweeted: “Can't believe the Walkers #crispshortage! No ready salted with my lunch today.”
Another said: “Where are the cheese and onion??? I'm dying here.”
A third tweeted: “Of all the things for there to be a shortage of, it's Walkers. Where's the Monster Munch?”
And a fourth commented: “What’s happened to your Squares?”
