Large British supermarket chains have decided to ration certain products in order to prevent any uncontrolled wave of purchases following new restriction measures in the country, as was the case during the lockdown at the end of March.
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Tesco, the number one in the sector, now limits certain products in its stores to three purchases per person: flour, pasta, toilet paper, disinfectant or baby wipes.
For online purchases, additional limits are in place for canned rice and vegetables.
While Covid-19 contaminations are experiencing a resurgence in the most bereaved country in Europe, the British executive has been asking pubs and restaurants since Thursday to close at 10 p.m. in England and has encouraged employees to again favor teleworking.
The range of measures could be tightened if the rapid spread of Covid-19 is not halted.
"
We have a good supply, with a lot of stocks, and we encourage customers to do their shopping normally,
" said a spokesman for Tesco in a statement sent to AFP on Friday.
But "
to make sure that everyone can buy what they need, we are introducing limits on a small number of products,
" he adds.
Tesco is following in the footsteps of its competitor Morrisons, which introduced limits on toilet paper and disinfectants on Thursday.
“
Our inventory levels for these products are good, but we want them to be available for everyone
,” according to a Morrisons spokesperson.
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Supermarket signs want to avoid reliving what happened when containment was put in place in March, with supermarkets robbed by customers wanting to build up stocks.
The situation is very different now, however, even if photos circulating on social networks showed empty shelves in supermarkets, some consumers fearing a new general confinement.
The sector is reassuring and is now ready to face strong demand, especially as the brands have beefed up their online offer and their delivery capacities.
"
The supply chains are more solid than before and we do not anticipate problems in the availability of food or other goods in the event of future containment
", underlined this week Andrew Opie, an official of the federation of traders companies, the BRC (British Retail Consortium).
