The newly appointed grocery commissioner is waiting on a response from Sanitarium, after the Weetbix manufacturer made the call to pull Weetbix from The Warehouse shelves from tomorrow.
“When you have a shortage, you ration supplies across all of your customers, you don’t just choose one,” Grocery Commissioner Pierre van Heerden says.
Van Heerden was appointed as the first Grocery Commissioner in July, as part of the Government’s efforts to improve supermarket competition.
He knows Sanitarium better than most, he was executive general manager there for 10 years.
Asked what he thinks is going on at the company, he replied, “that’s something you really need to ask Sanitarium.”
The Warehouse sells its 1.2kg Weetbix box for $6.00 across its stores – cheaper than other competitors in the market.
In recent years, The Warehouse Group has been trying to establish itself in the grocery sector.
Some customers have taken to Sanitarium’s social media pages, to say they’ll boycott the brand.
While its latest Facebook post is about savoury mince tacos, many of the comments are about The Warehouse Weetbix saga.
“I will not buy anything made by your company from now on,” one reads.
“You’ve tarnished your image as a trusted kiwi brand,” said another.
For a second day, Sanitarium has refused interview requests from 1News, saying its commercial relationships are “confidential.”
“Potentially Sanitarium thinks it’s more straightforward for them just to supply to the duopoly but we think that's just not good enough,” said Consumer NZ’s Gemma Rasmussen.
In a statement, Foodstuffs, which owns Pak'n'Save and New World, has shut down any suggestion it’s had conversations with Sanitarium about restricting supply to other retailers, while Countdown said this is a matter between Sanitarium and The Warehouse, and nobody been in touch with them.
“This is also really a time for the grocery commissioner to act,” said Rasmussen.
“This is one of his big first challenges so it's a time to make an example and show he can have impact.”
“As grocery commissioner, and within the Commerce Commission, we have broad ranging powers, so it depends what information comes back,” said van Heerden.
“I would really hope sanity prevails and the Warehouse will be getting supplies again, but that is totally up to Sanitarium.”
The Commerce Commission has written to Sanitarium asking them to explain.
SHARE ME