Will top brands be removed from Tesco shelves here in supplier row?

It is unclear whether dozens of household brands, including Persil, Hellmann's and Ben and Jerry's, will be removed from Tesco's shelves across Ireland.

It is understood supplier Unilever has stopped deliveries to UK stores after the supermarket giant refused to put prices up by 10%.

Retail Analyst Teresa Wickham said the hike was down to the fall in the value of the pound, and the impact of Brexit.

"It's not surprising because of the value of the pound. Unilever is a global retailer so they are suffering, but you'll find there's big pushback from all the retailers.

"You'll find they come to a compromise."

'Exploiting customers'?

Unilever's finance chief has admitted that the prices of its popular products will rise as a result of the collapse in sterling, a day after the firm was accused of "exploiting consumers" following the row with Tesco.

Speaking alongside the group's third quarter results, chief financial officer Graeme Pitkethly said: "In the UK, which accounts for 5% of turnover, prices should start to increase to cover the cost of imported goods due to weaker sterling."

However, he added that he is confident that the dispute with Tesco will be "resolved very quickly" and said that other Unilever customers have accepted price hikes.

The group, behind brands such as Marmite, Flora and Persil, is believed to have demanded a 10% price rise due to the falling value of sterling, halting deliveries to Tesco when it refused.

Since the UK's EU referendum on June 23, the pound has lost nearly 18% of its value against the dollar.

The stand-off has left the supermarket facing a shortage of brands such as Surf washing powder, Comfort fabric conditioner, Hellmann's mayonnaise, Pot Noodle and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.

Mr Pitkethly's comments came as Unilever reported a rise in sales in the third quarter, helped by price increases.

The firm said underlying sales rose 3.2% in the period, with total sales coming in at €13.4bn. However, the firm added that it took a hit from currency movements.

British politicians condemned Unilever, saying the company was using Brexit as an excuse to exploit consumers and warned it may be damaging its brand.

Conservative MP Sir Gerald Howarth said it will be very damaging to the firm's reputation "if they seek to use the fall in the pound to exploit the consumer".

Shares in both companies took a hit as a result of the spat. Tesco shares were down 1.96% and Unilever was down 2.46% in morning trading.