The products are in smaller pack sizes to make them more affordable.
For example, although US shoppers prefer to buy in bulk to save money, Fresh & Easy offered small pack sizes.
"You see customers that are running out of money at the end of the month going to the smaller pack sizes — they are not necessarily a better value," Mr. Holley said, but "we have been continuing to work on that, so we have the smaller pack sizes".
Partington highlighted work by McKinsey and Public Health England, which he argued suggested smaller pack sizes and reformulation as being more effective than tax as interventions to help people reduce their calorie intake.
James Brown, at pricing strategy specialists Simon-Kucher & Partners, said: "We'd expect much of this tax to be passed on to consumers through higher shelf prices, but also in hidden ways such as smaller pack sizes and lower promotional discounts".
Analysts said prices were likely to rise for shoppers as a result of the tax, announced in a surprise budget measure on Wednesday, but suggested that the new tax could be hidden in smaller pack sizes or reduced discounts.
It's possible that wolves respond to the loss of packmates by having more pups — which then require feeding — or that smaller pack sizes force them to switch from fleet-footed wild prey to more sluggish domesticated prey.
A number of consumer-goods makers have started making smaller pack sizes for older, smaller households.Japan, which has already had lots of practice with older consumers, has developed some ingenious new products for the grandparent generation.
That means it will feature, in some cases, smaller pack sizes than at the other warehouse club locations.
However, its market share declined by 1.2% in the quarter to 37.4%, after the brewer introduced smaller pack sizes.
