UK supermarkets hit by shortage of Mars bars

Multipacks of the chocolate treats were unavailable on the Tesco, Morrisons and Asda websites

(Getty Images)

A shortage of Mars bars has seen a barrage “out of stock” messages appear on supermarket websites and shelves, as food wholesalers also report diminishing stocks.

Mars Wrigley, which makes Milky Way bars, M&M’s, Skittles, Snickers, and Twix, said it was “experiencing high levels of demand” amid reports of shortages spanning for up to a week in some instances.

As of Monday evening, four packs of the chocolate treats were unavailable to buy on the Tesco and Asda websites, though single bars were still showing as being in stock.

Eight packs of the chocolate bar were also out of stock on the Morrisons website, while all other Mars products were still available for purchase.

Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Ocado were all fully stocked online.

It appears that Scottish chip shops that serve the hallowed battered and deep-fried Mars bars have suffered the brunt of the shortages.

The owner of the Clam Shell takeaway on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, Joe Andreucci told The Telegraph: “We buy from Cash & Carry wholesalers and we currently have no stock today because we couldn’t get them. We think there is a shortage.”

Asked about the alleged Mars shortage, one retailer told The Guardian: “[It] looks like a production issue on Mars’s end may be causing gaps across retailers”.

The newspaper also shared photos of a sticker left on an empty shelf in a Tesco in Walthamstow, north London, which said that the next delivery was expected on 10 September.

A second Tesco branch in Camden said it had sold out of Snickers Duo, while white chocolate Twix bars were out of stock until an expected delivery date of 9 September.

A spokesman for Mars Wrigley said: “We are experiencing high levels of demand on a number of our treats.

“We are producing significant quantities and want to reassure the British public that our much-loved brands are still available nationwide.”

The company website is emblazoned with the tagline “we can make nearly three million bars a day” at its factory in Slough, Berkshire.

Tesco declined to comment.