Europe's largest electronics retailer MediaMarktSaturn is preparing for delivery bottlenecks for popular product groups at Christmas.
That's not good news for last-minute shoppers.
Ingolstadt / Kiel - The electronics retailer MediaMarktSaturn has warned of delivery bottlenecks at Christmas in view of the corona pandemic and the ongoing semiconductor shortage.
At the moment, the warehouses are “still well stocked with the corresponding goods,” a company spokeswoman told
Merkur.de when asked
.
However, "some suppliers have already indicated that there may be bottlenecks in the availability of individual products in the coming months".
This applies in particular to “smartphones, tablets, printers, dishwashers and refrigerators”.
The exact extent of the expected bottlenecks cannot be foreseen at the moment, said the spokeswoman for the Ceconomy subsidiary.
Christmas presents: IfW economist expects bottlenecks
Even economists are assuming a tense delivery situation for the holidays in some areas.
Basically, "the majority of the entertainment electronics will be available for the Christmas business", expects Vincent Stamer from the renowned Institute for the World Economy (IfW) in Kiel.
In the case of individual goods, however, “delays and failures can certainly occur,” Stamer told
Merkur.de
.
As a reason for the delivery bottlenecks, the international trade expert mainly refers to Corona *.
There have been frequent interruptions in the production of many articles.
In addition, the logistics chains have been massively disrupted several times.
The situation is made even more difficult by the lack of computer chips *.
Christmas gifts are getting more expensive this year
In view of the tense environment, consumers would have to "adjust to" higher prices, "said Stamer.
In the case of “products in demand”, increases of between “five to ten percent compared to the previous year” are to be expected, explained the IfW expert.
So if you want to save on Christmas gifts, you should start looking.
MediaMarktSaturn also has a - not entirely altruistic - advice ready for consumers: "In principle, we recommend our customers not to postpone purchases too long with a view to their Christmas purchases," says the group headquarters in Ingolstadt.
* Merkur.de is part of IPPEN.MEDIA.
