Tesco loses a sweet tooth at the till

Brits love their sweets but apparently not in line at the supermarket.

The U.K.’s No. 1 grocery chain, Tesco, is removing confectionery from checkouts after finding 65 per cent of shoppers don’t want to be tempted with sweets while waiting to pay.

The grocer took out candy and chocolate from checkouts of its larger Tesco stores two decades ago. But now these items will be removed from all stores in Britain and Ireland, including Tesco Express convenience stores.

Research found that 67% of consumers said not having sweets at the till would help them make healthier food choices for their kids.

“Popping into a shop with a small child in tow can sometimes feel like navigating an assault course,” Katie O’Donovan of Mumsnet, a popular U.K. parenting website, said. “If you’ve made it to the checkout in one piece it can be really frustrating to then be faced with an unhealthy array of sweets designed to tempt your child.”

In a press statement, Tesco said it would begin testing various healthier items at checkouts before doing a rollout across the entire chain.

Tesco is the second U.K. grocer to remove sweets outright this year. In January, the limited assortment chain Lidl replaced confectionery at all 600 of its British stores with dried and fresh fruit, juices and oatcakes.

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