Omikron takes care of Ikea, Edeka and Co.: Shorter opening times and bottlenecks are conceivable

Created: 01/23/2022, 09:37 am

By: Franziska Schwarz

Shortened opening hours or closures due to Omikron?

German branches are already preparing for restrictions.

Munich – Most expected that Omikron is currently causing the incidence to skyrocket in Germany.

The corona variant is highly contagious, and the number of infected people in quarantine is increasing.

There is therefore concern, for example, about staff shortages in the police force.

But you could also feel the wave as a customer.

The

asked around in the retail trade in this cold January and one thing is clear: he is on the alert.

Ikea Germany is currently registering more sick employees than usual.

Among other things, they fail to isolate themselves, which can still be compensated for at the moment, “but if the situation gains significant momentum, department closures and shorter opening hours cannot be ruled out,” the newspaper quotes a company spokeswoman as saying.

Omikron meets Edeka and Co.: bottlenecks in certain products

Supermarkets such as Lidl, Kaufland, Edeka or Rewe have already switched.

According to the

, the

Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland) called for

it to be made easier in the short term to leave employees to each other in the branches.

This is already partly the case at the Rewe Group: employees from the administration took over operational tasks.

According to the report, grocers have already stocked up to avoid shortages in the supply of goods.

They cannot be prevented entirely.

The demand for certain products is currently "at a high level," said an Edeka spokesman for the

, without naming specific goods.

But there are alternatives on the shelves.

Since, according to an Edeka spokesman, the demand for certain products is “at a high level”, there could be bottlenecks with individual products.

But there are alternatives on the shelf.

Ikea and Co. are preparing for possible staff shortages due to Omikron.

© Artur Widak/Imago

Personnel and delivery bottlenecks due to Omikron: trade association reacts

Retailers are therefore now demanding that delivery restrictions be suspended.

According to the German Retail Association (HDE), the ban on night-time deliveries in city centers and the Sunday driving ban for trucks should be temporarily lifted.

"The night-time bans for trucks entering many cities prevent deliveries to retail branches," said HDE general manager Stefan Genth to the

newspapers on January 22.

Therefore, these nightly delivery restrictions should be lifted, at least as long as there is a tense situation in the supply chains.

Genth also called for the Sunday driving ban for trucks to be lifted so that traffic could be planned more flexibly and supply chains relieved.

"Politicians must now take the appropriate precautions very quickly at all levels so that any problems that may arise can then be solved quickly and in a targeted manner."