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Warburtons crumpets have returned to the shelves of Waitrose, more than two years after the bakery’s products were exiled in a row over prices.
Waitrose has begun selling a selection of Warburtons products in recent weeks, including crumpets and gluten-free loaves and rolls.
It signals a restoration of business relations between the two companies after Waitrose stopped selling Warburtons products in 2022. The banishment followed a commercial dispute over the price of crumpets and other goods. At the time, inflation was soaring and many food and drink manufacturers were demanding higher prices on supermarket shelves to cover higher costs.
Jonathan Warburton, the chairman of Warburtons, said he was “delighted” to be selling his crumpets in Waitrose again.
He said: “It’s been something that we’ve been quietly working away with Waitrose on for some time. We obviously thought [removing the products] was a mistake, but we’re chuffed to bits to be back in and they’ve been very supportive.”
When The Telegraph revealed the dispute had taken place, Waitrose claimed that the performance of Warburtons products “didn’t meet our expectations”. Mr Warburton said it was “a shame” to see them delisted.
In a later interview with The Telegraph, Mr Warburton claimed it would be “just a matter of time” before Warburtons products returned to Waitrose. Crumpets remained on the shelves of a handful of Waitrose stores in Dubai, which are run by a franchisee.
The brand’s return follows a change of leadership at Waitrose’s parent company, the John Lewis Partnership. Jason Tarry replaced Dame Sharon White as chairman in September.
Mr Tarry, a former UK chief executive of Tesco, joined the Partnership after a turbulent few years in which Waitrose lost market share to rivals such as M&S during the cost of living crisis.
While at Tesco, he played a major role in “Project Reset”, an all-encompassing shake-up of the range of products sold by Tesco that was spearheaded by its former boss Sir Dave Lewis.
A Waitrose spokesman said: “We’re very pleased to toast the return of Warburtons crumpets and we know that our customers wholeheartedly welcome the fact that they’re back.”
Founded in 1876, Warburtons is Britain’s largest baker and one of the country’s best-known family-run businesses. It is run by fifth-generation family members Jonathan, Ross and Brett Warburton who act as chairman and executive directors respectively. The company had sales of more than £700m in its most recent financial year, turning a profit of £34.3m.
Warburtons’ dispute with Waitrose was one of a number of rows between food manufacturers and supermarkets during the cost of living crisis. Surging raw material and labour costs prompted many food companies to push for higher prices on shelves, a demand some supermarkets resisted for fear of hurting their sales.