Following reports of shortages at certain branches of its supermarkets, Morrisons has blamed disruption to its supply chains for some of their shelves lying empty of basic foodstuffs. In a statement, the supermarket said: “Due to disruptions within our supply chain, we are seeing low availability of lettuce.”
Customers have also been reporting shortages of raw and cooked meats, as well as certain vegetables such as lettuce. An investor in the Morrison’s Daily stores has recently blamed reduced consumer spending and industry-wide supply chain disruption for difficult trading conditions.
These supply chain shocks are believed to be a consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, often referred to as the world’s “breadbasket”, as well as severe flooding in Spain. The boss of Co-op cited the Spanish floods as a key reason for the UK lettuce shortage, while warning consumers of “further volatility”.
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One disgruntled customer affected by the shortages at Morrisons told Hull Live: “You’d expect the big supermarkets to have this sort of stuff in stock. It’s worrying that they can’t even get the basics like salad and chicken in.
“It’s not the end of the world but when you’re turning to frozen and tinned items instead it really says something about where we’re going. Whatever the issue is it needs sorting.”
GloucestershireLive sent a reporter to their local Morrisons in Up Hatherley, Cheltenham, this afternoon (Monday, April 25) to see how Gloucestershire branches of the Bradford-based business were faring with the recent supply issues.
They said: “Though there are some grocery items like spring onions that are currently out of stock, the availability of food in this branch is pretty good. Crates of lettuces abound, in defiance of complaints from supermarket bosses about shortages.”
Our reporter continued: “Despite difficulties in supply, this Morrisons has plenty of raw and cooked chicken. While customers should be prepared for occasional shortages, the local shops seem to be well-stocked.”
