Mouth–watering price hikes to come

A MAJOR supplier of household goods to supermarkets is to push more price rises after raw material cost hikes and heavy promotions by its branded rivals hammered profits.

McBride, which supplies own-label toothpaste, mouthwashes and detergents to all the major UK supermarket chains, said one of its key objectives this year would be to offset raw material increases through higher selling prices and lower costs. The time lag in recouping its higher input costs contributed to operating profits tumbling by £21 million to £29m in the year to June.