Tesco warns of Christmas panic buying if driver shortage continues | Tesco

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Tesco has warned government officials that empty supermarket shelves due to a national shortage of heavy truck drivers could lead to panic buying across the UK in the run-up to Christmas.

“Our concern is that the images of empty shelves are going to be ten times worse by Christmas and then we panic buying,” Andrew Wolfenden, head of UK distribution and fulfillment for Tesco, said at a Cabinet Office meeting last week.

Despite offering £1,000 bonuses since the summer, Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket, still faces a shortfall of 800 drivers, Wolfenden said, adding that the company has struggled to hire more drivers than it has lost to rivals. at recent days. months.

Co-op warned last week that shoppers are likely to experience higher prices and a more limited range in the lead-up to Christmas as a result of a driver shortage. “There won’t be the same level of choice as in the past,” said Co-op CEO Steve Morells.

He added that shoppers will be able to get everything they need for Christmas and their weekly shop, but things like the range of package sizes on some products will be limited.

While the government has advised companies to invest in domestic labor, Tesco has now joined a group of companies calling on ministers to make it easier to hire employees from abroad to bridge the gap. Wolfenden told cabinet officials that attempts to recruit people from the same group of drivers in the UK amounted to “moving the loungers”, according to comments first reported by ITV.

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It comes on the heels of a massive exodus of workers linked to Covid and Brexit, which has put pressure on supply chains across the UK.

Industry groups, including UK Logistics and the British Retail Consortium, have since called on the government to introduce temporary UK visas for EU truck drivers to help tackle the problem, while the CBI warned that a failure to act quickly could put in the wake of the epidemic. Recovery is in danger.

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We have good availability, with shipments arriving in our stores and distribution centers across the UK every day. While the industry-wide shortage of heavy truck drivers has led to some distribution challenges, we are working hard to address these and plan months ahead. coming, so that customers can have everything they need.”

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