Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

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)

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less