Branston Pickle selling for sixteen pounds on eBay!

Following a fire at the Bury St. Edmonds factory, fans of the Pickle were panic buying, fearing a shortage. See full story from The Daily Telegraph below.

Important Update: February 15, 2006
Branston lovers fork out £16 for endangered pickle.

"Sellers are cashing in on a predicted shortage of Branston Pickle as its maker warned of panic buying after a fire at the factory.Premier Foods said it only had enough stock to cover about two weeks of sales after a fire at its Bury St Edmunds factory last week.Jars of Branston Pickle were selling for as much as £16 on online auction site Ebay last night.Premier Foods said the fire had caused "significant damage" to the machinery, boilers and electrical supply, halting production. A spokesman said: "We could possibly see a shortage in the supermarkets."Premier Foods said part-production of Branston Pickle would resume in three weeks but production would not return to normal levels until December or January. It normally sells 28m jars a year "and Christmas is the busiest time", a spokesman said. Fans of the product are said to include Naomi Campbell and Catherine Zeta Jones.Sellers were quick to take advantage of the news, advertising "rare" jars of Branston Pickle on Ebay. A 310g jar, costing 64p in supermarkets, was typically being offered from 99p-£1.50 while a 450g jar, usual retail value 90p, was offered for £1.50-£2.00. One seller advertised the product saying: "The factory may have burnt down but you can still get yours on Ebay!" One auction appeared to have reached £16 with five days left to run, though the seller has promised to donate the profits to charity. The seller described the product as "the Rolls-Royce in this highly competitive market".Other products made at the Bury St Edmunds factory, including Haywards pickles and Loyd Grossman sauces, will be temporarily outsourced to other manufacturers. Branston Pickle production will not be outsourced "because of the way it is made".The company said: "We may experience significant short-term customer demand which may result in the current stock being sold through much quicker than would be normal."However, a spokesman for Tesco said yesterday: "We haven't had any problems at all so I can't really say there is a shortage at the moment."