UK supermarkets 'stressed' as panic buying continues

MAJOR supermarkets in the UK are chalking out ways to streamline their operations by cutting cafes, counters and other services to enable a depleted workforce to maintain basic provisions.

The country's supermarket sector has struggled for over a week to keep shelves stocked as shoppers going on a panic spree to buy items such as dried pasta, canned food, flour, toilet rolls and hand sanitisers.

Executives are now working on plans to keep the stores running if large numbers of their staff become ill or if the outbreak forces the closure of schools, which would escalate workers' child care needs.

"What (products) we can and can't get is the least of our current challenges," a supermarket executive told Reuters.

The person said far more pressing problems were how the business staffs its stores and how it practically helps the elderly and vulnerable when the virus takes hold of the UK population.

The government announcing the closure of all schools would be "a binary moment", the person added.

Another source at a UK supermarket group said planning was focused on "What would it take to keep the store running?"

The source said this could involve having a much more streamlined operation in individual stores, keeping them running with less staff.

Options could include temporarily closing in-store cafes and fresh food counters.

British supermarkets recently called on consumers to be more “considerate”, reiterating that they had adequate supplies.

The country's leading groceries retailers, including Tesco, Sainsbury's and Waitrose, penned a joint letter to customers, appealing for calm.

"We need your help," they wrote. "We would ask everyone to be considerate in the way they shop. There is enough for everyone if we all work together."

British stores have been inundated with shoppers for more than a week, with people panic buying toilet paper, and long-life items such as pasta and canned goods.

Online shopping, a popular choice in Britain, has been disrupted, with long waiting times for scheduled deliveries and some supermarkets' websites crashing due to demand.

Morrisons said on Monday (16) it would introduce "temporary purchase limits" on certain high-demand products, while increasing store cleaning, food manufacturing and stock levels.

Waitrose will reinforce its staff by redirecting 500 employees from John Lewis department stores, which are part of the same parent group.

"It's not unusual for us to ask partners in head office to volunteer help in our shops where they can during busy trading times," the company said in a statement.

"It's the right thing to do to ensure we continue to deliver a good service for our customers."

Helen Dickinson, head of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said supermarkets were "working incredibly hard to keep shops well-stocked and deliveries running as smoothly as possible".

She noted this was happening "in the face of unprecedented demand as a result of coronavirus".

The BRC said it had already observed a spike in late February retail sales, especially in food, as the health crisis began to have an impact across Europe.

Non-food stores were expected to sink even further into a crisis that was already affecting the sector even before the COVID-19 crisis began, as many Britons changed their consumer behaviour.

(Agencies)