NEWS
Indie retailers confident in Christmas despite widespread logistical challenges By Greg Pitcher
Fine food retailers are tackling several logistical challenges in the run-up to the critical Christmas trading period. Many independent businesses spoke about the approaches they were taking to overcome well-publicised supply-chain and resourcing issues this festive season. Chancellor Rishi Sunak last month insisted there would be “good provision of goods for everybody” this Christmas after former Tesco boss David Lewis was hired by the government to ease a spiralling logistics crisis. Shortages of lorry drivers and food production staff, as well as shipping bottlenecks, have led to gaps on shelves around the country, while finding staff for seasonal peaks is also tricky at the moment. Daniel Williams, project manager at Cheshire-based Godfrey C Williams & Son, said logistics was the “biggest hurdle we face”.
Calls for change in shoplift law A Liberal Democrat peer has called for a change in legislation to reduce levels of shop theft. Section 176 of the Anti Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 allows anyone accused of shop theft where the value of the goods is less than £200 to plead guilty by post – similar to a parking ticket offence. However, Lord Navnit Dholakia has now submitted an amendment to the Police and Crime Bill that would seek the removal of this clause with immediate effect. He said that there has been an increase in retail theft in recent years, and that a greater deterrent would reduce this figure.
Short supply chains have led some independent retailers to have fewer concerns over the well-publicised turkey shortage
“I am worried that some orders may not arrive for the first couple of weeks of December – or even for Christmas at all,” he said. “Some of our suppliers are facing shipping problems, particularly with items like wicker hamper baskets shipped from China. “Glacé fruits and almond essence are both new shortages this week, and we haven’t been able to source certain Irish cheeses for months.” Rob Copley, owner of West Yorkshire farm shop Farmer Copleys, said he had
heard of poultry shortages but was able to avoid these by dealing directly with a local farmer. But he added: “The price of beef is going up as slaughterhouses are struggling for staff. We also asked an agency for 20 people to move pumpkins in October and they only sent us two. “There will be big pressure on our staff over Christmas, we are squeezing everyone all the time.” Shane Godwin, managing director of Kentbased Macknade, admitted
that “logistics are a worry”. “A lot of seasonal stock is drip-feeding in rather than arriving en masse,” he said. “Our biggest risk is butchery. Small cuts like beef ribs are a challenge and that drives up price. Staffing has been an issue but is starting to settle down, we just have a few gaps left. “It is difficult to say for sure if it will be a great Christmas but people are keen to make the most of this festive period. Our average spend is stronger than two years ago.” Antonio Picciuto, owner of Buongiorno Italia in Hertfordshire, said: “Most of our suppliers have done well in keeping deliveries on time without any major hiccups. My frustration is with the couriers who deliver for our suppliers, as so much time has been wasted on tracking late parcels, and when the goods arrive they are often damaged or even completely unsaleable.”
Warning over fraudulent complaint scam An industry figure has urged food retailers to be vigilant after a number of outlets were targeted by apparently fraudulent demands for money. The Craft Bakers Association issued an alert to its members warning them that the same mobile phone was being used to call outlets in different regions complaining of finding plastic in food purchased there to take away. An online search for the phone in question revealed that a long list of businesses had received similar calls and claims for compensation. The website Who Called Me records more than 3,500 searches for the number along with more
than 60 comments about calls from it. These detail a number of scam attempts, including “a lengthy story” about how the caller’s granddaughter had cut her lip on something within baked goods and blood had “covered their motorhome”. Many people reported a claim for compensation. Craft Bakers Association operations director Karen Dear, pictured, said the
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT...
body would consider calling in the police if the calls continued to affect members. “We did this about six years ago,” she said. “Our industry was being targeted by an individual emailing our members to say they had found a foreign object in their product. This was eventually tracked down to an elderly lady in Luton, she received a caution and the issue ceased.” Independent retailers were put on high alert earlier this year when Dominic Watkins, head of retail, food and hospitality at legal services firm DWF, said COVID compliance was becoming “the new PPI” for certain law firms seeking to bring claims.
COUNTERING CHRISTMAS SUPPLY ISSUES ANTONIO PICCIUTO BUONGIORNO ITALIA
“We started our ordering much earlier and told suppliers to send all ambient stock immediately. This has caused us a storage problem, but we are managing. Our first panettone arrived mid-September and we have noticed that our clients are buying their favourites as soon as they are in.” DANIEL WILLIAMS GODFREY C WILLIAMS & SON
“We’re sticking to last year’s strategy: Keep it local. Keep it British. We’ve stocked up on some great new Cheshire food & drink products for this Christmas. As a contingency plan, I’ve set aside three days across November and December to go on collecting runs for food and drink if needed.” SHANE GODWIN MACKNADE FINE FOODS
“We’re moving things forward; our turkeys are online earlier for example as they are reared five minutes from our Faversham store. There are definitely more challenges than usual this Christmas, we have to watch the market. There is some vulnerability as we make sure we have the right items at the right price.” Vol.22 Issue 9 | November 2021
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