Major wholesalers have stepped up contingency plans after a surge in demand during recent heatwaves disrupted deliveries to some convenience retailers.
Several retailers told our sister title RN they had experienced disruption to chilled deliveries in recent weeks. The disruption varied between retailers, but Booker, Morrisons Daily and Spar stores supplied by AF Blakemore were among those affected.
One Booker retailer, who asked not to be named, said: “I did have issues where I couldn’t get chilled products in, which are popular during this period.
“It happened a couple of times. Booker was quite good in responding, though. It wasn’t just them, either. It’s been an issue that’s affected wholesalers across the board. With the World Cup and unexpected heatwaves, you expect demand to increase and you can’t really put all the blame on wholesalers.”
Asked how it was preparing for further heatwaves, a Morrisons spokesperson told RN: “Extreme heatwaves can put real pressure on any supply chain, and while no network is completely immune to unexpected friction, early planning and agility have been vital in helping us keep stock moving.
Read more: JW Filshill highlights deliveries through extreme weather
“To mitigate delivery issues and protect availability, we’ve taken a proactive approach across our network.”
The supermarket said it had analysed sales from previous peak trading periods and built up “weeks of hot weather stock” in its depots. It is also using its supermarket distribution network to reallocate stock where necessary.
Parfetts joint managing director Noel Robinson said: “The heatwave drove a surge in sales greater than during the World Cup, with orders up more than 30% year on year. The heat itself caused no operational problems; pressure on delivery schedules came from the exceptional rise in demand.
“Investment in expanding our fleet in recent years has helped us absorb such increases while maintaining service levels. We rescheduled some orders to manage capacity, but no retailer was let down. With further heatwaves expected, we will continue to manage capacity closely to minimise disruption and support our customers.”
The latest measures follow similar disruption reported by Nisa and Costcutter retailers last month. Co-op Wholesale said the issues were caused by a spike in demand and confirmed it had implemented a recovery plan.
Booker and AF Blakemore did not comment as RN went to print.
