Sainsbury’s is restricting customer purchases to combat panic buying, closing its in-store cafes and beefing-up online services to get it through the coronavirus crisis.
Britain’s grocery industry has struggled for over a week to keep shelves stocked in the face of intense panic buying, which got worse on Tuesday despite weekend appeals for calm from supermarket bosses and politicians.
In a letter to customers, Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Mike Coupe said that from Wednesday customers would be able to buy a maximum of three of any grocery product and a maximum of two of the most popular products including toilet paper, soap and UHT milk.
‘We have enough food coming into the system, but are limiting sales so that it stays on shelves for longer and can be bought by a larger numbers of customers,’ he said.
Beleaguered customers at an Asda Walmart in Waterlooville, Hampshire, were queueing outside the door at 6am this morning and within just one hour, shoppers claim shelves were empty as worried households continue to stockpile against government advice today.
Britain’s grocery industry has struggled for over a week to keep shelves stocked in the face of intense panic buying (pictured: Empty shelves where toilet roll is usually stocked in a Sainsbury’s supermarket at the Arnison Centre in Durham)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday shut down social life in Britain and advised the most vulnerable to isolate for 12 weeks (pictured: Sainsbury’s in Tonbridge, Kent, March 17)
Aldi on Monday became the first UK grocer to introduce rationing, limiting customers to buying four items of any one product during each visit.
From Thursday, Sainsbury’s will be closing its cafes and its meat, fish and pizza counters in supermarkets.
‘This means we can free up warehouse and lorry capacity for products that customers really need. It will also free up time for our store colleagues to focus on keeping the shelves as well stocked as possible,’ said Coupe.
From Monday, the group will operate an expanded ‘click and collect’ service, with a significant increase in the number of collection sites across the UK.
From Thursday, Sainsbury’s will be closing its cafes and its meat, fish and pizza counters in supermarkets
Sainsbury’s plans to reserve hours in stores specifically for the elderly and vulnerable and will give customers who are over 70 or have a disability priority access to online delivery slots
Empty shelves are seen inside Sainsbury’s Lee Green in London, Britain March 17
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday shut down social life in Britain and advised the most vulnerable to isolate for 12 weeks.
Sainsbury’s also plans to reserve hours in stores specifically for the elderly and vulnerable and will give customers who are over 70 or have a disability priority access to online delivery slots.
The group said in January that Coupe would step down as CEO on May 31 and be succeeded by Simon Roberts, the group´s current retail and operations director.
However, with UK health authorities predicting the peak of the virus is 10 to 14 weeks away there has been speculation he will defer his retirement.
On Tuesday rival Morrisons said it plans to create 3,500 new jobs and expand its home delivery operation to help it deal with coronavirus.
Chaotic panic buying has seen people scrabbling to load up with loo rolls, long-life milk and pasta in a bid to prepare for the worst.
Supermarkets are cracking down on what shoppers can purchase as panic about the coronavirus epidemic leads to wide-spread stockpiling. Pictured: Two men with trolleys full of goods are pictured outside a Costco store in Manchester
Panic-buying customers formed huge queues in an Aldi supermarket in Liverpool as they stocked up on goods
Empty freezers can be seen in a Morrisons store in London as shoppers stock up on frozen goods
Chaos this week saw people scrabbling to load up with loo rolls, long-life milk and pasta in a bid to prepare for the worst as the coronavirus death toll hit 21 yesterday while the number of infected soared past 1,000 in the UK alone. Pictured: Bare shelves in a Morrisons store in London
Shelves in Sainsbury’s in Portishead, Somerset, had limited stock after shoppers stockpiled goods
Shelves in Sainsbury’s, New Cross Gate in London were completely clear of products as scared shoppers resorted to panic buying
Huge queues formed outside Costco in Cardiff as people desperately stockpiled goods as the panic about coronavirus intensifies
Earlier this week Tesco – Britain’s biggest supermarket – has rationed the sale of anti-bacterial products, dried pasta, tinned vegetables, toilet paper and tissues to five packs at a time starting online on Sunday morning and in stores on Saturday afternoon.
Waitrose introduced a limit to products – including hand sanitizer – that can be bought online.
In Boots, bottles of children’s paracetamol Calpol were being sold at only one at a time.
Asda in Dalgety Bay, Dunfermline, had empty shelves after shoppers stocked up on Sunday
Huge queues formed outside an Asda in East London this morning as shoppers flocked to get their hands on essential items
Morrisons (an empty store in London, pictured) placed ‘a maximum order number’ on certain products – according to a statement on its website
Shoppers seeking a Morrisons (empty store in London pictured) home delivery have been instructed to tell the store if they are self-isolating so goods can be left on the doorstep
Shelves were almost completely bare after panicked shoppers stocked up on long-life items
The fruit and vegetable aisle was cleared out as frantic shoppers stocked up as coronavirus panic increased
Morrisons placed ‘a maximum order number’ on certain products – according to a statement on its website.
Shoppers seeking a Morrisons home delivery have been instructed to tell the store if they are self-isolating so goods can be left on the doorstep.
Asda has a two-product limit on items including cleaning products and hand sanitizer while Aldi has limited shoppers to four items in store.
Last week Sainsbury’s chief executive Mike Coupe sent a message in a bid to relax the nerves of desperate shoppers.
It was apparently sent in response to images of supermarket shelves stripped bare of toilet rolls and long-lasting food like pasta and rice.
In a personalised statement to shoppers, he urged them to ‘think before you buy and only buy what you and your family need’.
He said in his email: ‘You will have seen that, due to the ongoing uncertainty around the full impact of Coronavirus, supermarkets have been much busier than usual and customers are choosing to stock up.
‘I wanted to personally reassure you that we have more food and other essential items coming to us from manufacturers and into our warehouses and distribution centres.
‘If we all shop just for the food that we and our families need, there will be enough for everyone.
‘I also wanted to let you know that at Sainsbury’s, we are working really hard to ensure this remains the case.
‘Over the past two weeks we have: Ordered more stock of essential items from our suppliers, put more capacity into our warehouses and set limits on a small number of items, including some cleaning products, soap and pain relief.
‘This is a precautionary measure – if everyone shops normally, there will be enough for everyone.
‘There are gaps on shelves because of increased demand, but we have new stock arriving regularly and we’re doing our best to keep shelves stocked. Our store colleagues are working tirelessly and doing the best job they can.
‘Which brings me onto a request.
‘Please think before you buy and only buy what you and your family need.
A 56-year-old shopper was mugged for his toilet paper just moments after leaving a Savers store in Harringay, north London yesterday. Pictured: Other shoppers leaving the store yesterday
‘If we all do this then we can make sure we have enough for everyone.
‘And please help elderly and vulnerable friends, family and neighbours with their shopping if you can.
‘I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and to thank our colleagues who are all working incredibly hard to ensure we can continue to serve our customers well.’