Supermarkets ask customers not to panic buy in preparation for an Omicron outbreak

Thursday, 20 January 2022

Some supermarkets have been running low on key products like toilet paper as shoppers stocked up to safeguard against future shortages.

New Zealand supermarket companies are asking shoppers not to panic buy groceries, to avoid putting pressure on supplies as the country prepares for a potential Omicron outbreak.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Thursday that all of New Zealand would move into the “red” traffic light system setting in the event of a community outbreak of Omicron.

In Australia, an Omicron outbreak has resulted in rows of empty shelves in supermarkets, as fewer staff were available to stock shelves and shoppers bought more than they needed as a safeguard against future shortages.

“Keeping our customers and team members safe, while making sure there’s a constant supply of essentials continues to be our priority,” said Emma Wooster, corporate affairs manager for Foodstuffs New Zealand, which owns the New World, Pak ‘n Save and Four Square brands.

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The company had been preparing its business to ensure it could supply essential food and groceries in the event Omicron became prevalent in the community, she said.

“While it’s not possible to exactly predict how Omicron will behave if it takes a hold in New Zealand, we’ve had the benefit of seeing and learning how the variant has impacted supply chains overseas, as well as this we are able to manage our supply chain end-to-end,” she said.

“This puts us in a strong position to prepare for, and protect ourselves, from this particularly transmissible variant of the virus.”

Supermarkets are asking customers to shop normally to avoid queues and shortages on shelves. (file photo)

Wooster said the supermarket chain had proven over the last couple of years of the Covid-19 pandemic that its supply chain was “extremely robust”.

“As the pandemic brings us new challenges, we’re constantly working on and introducing new ways to continue to strengthen it,” she said.

Its systems were put to the test when Delta arrived in August last year when large numbers of staff were required to self-isolate in Auckland, but all stores throughout Aotearoa remained open, she noted.

The company’s supply chain was fully integrated, enabling it to manage the flow of products from end-to-end, from the international or local source of supply, direct to stacking of shelves, she said.

“We ask customers to continue to put their trust in us, and our integrated supply chain, and shop normally, as gaps on the shelves and queues at the supermarket can be caused by buying more than is needed,” she said.

While customers may start to see limits to the number of certain products in any one shop, this was to ensure there was a consistent flow of product onto the shelves and availability of product for all customers, she said.

Global supply chains were likely to continue to be “lumpy” throughout the year due to the effects of Covid-19, she said.

“Our teams and supplier partners work hard behind the scenes to smooth out supply and provide alternatives and our buying teams are purchasing bigger quantities of long shelf-life imported goods, storing them in our network of local distribution centres, so they are on shore and on hand, if there is an unexpected uptick in demand,” she said.

Contactless delivery and click-and-collect services were available for North Island and Christchurch stores and the company would be rolling out the service through its South Island store networks this year.

A spokeswoman for Countdown also asked that customers only buy what they needed.

“We appreciate that Kiwis are keen to make sure they have what they need, especially if they have to isolate at home for several days,” she said. “Provided people are not stockpiling and only picking up a couple of extras in their shop, there will continue to be plenty available for everyone.”

Countdown staff were working hard to mitigate any impacts on supply in the event of an outbreak of Omicron in New Zealand, and its stores were “in good shape”, she said.

“We’re also working closely with our colleagues in Australia to understand the likely key pressure points Omicron will create in our supply chain and to ensure we have great processes and procedures in place to manage that,” she said.

“We have safely served millions of customers during previous outbreaks, and we will continue to work with government and health authorities to ensure we have all necessary Covid-19 related health and safety protocols in our stores,” she said.