West Moors butcher pulls out all the stops for the community

By Webb’s Butchers team Alex Webb, Lou Webb, Matt Stevens

Owning a butchers shop in West Moors, (over 9,000 km away from Wuhan), Alex and Lou Webb did not expect the coronavirus outbreak to affect their business, or even reach this country. How wrong they were. Since the middle of March the shop has seen more customers than even they could have predicted and the queues started a week before lockdown, when people started to panic buy.

Alex explains, “We had watched the unfolding news of a life-threating virus in China and thought it wouldn’t touch our lives – things like that happen in faraway places, not in Dorset.”

Alex and Lou were so sure it wouldn’t touch their lives that they went ahead and picked up some orphaned lambs to bottle-feed. It would mean Lou would have to stay at home bottle-feeding. “This was a mistake,” said Alex. “The news started to change a few days later and it became apparent the virus was getting closer. The panic buying started about a week before lockdown and it became obvious, we would have to look at how we managed the influx of customers who were in a state of panic.

“For instance, the shop freezer was full of pre-packed sausages and pies and these were cleared out in a few days.”

Not wanting to let customers down, Alex started work at 4.30am to make sausages and prepare for the day. “As soon as the door opened at 7.30am the queue of customers didn’t stop coming and the phone didn’t stop ringing until the door was closed at the end of the day,” he said.

“Myself and Matt would stay and write out deliveries and I would deliver on my way home when I finished. This couldn’t continue as I felt shattered and didn’t want to make myself unwell.

“The news had reported the larger supermarkets had changed their opening times so they could replenish the shelves,” continued Alex. “We had a team meeting and decided to make some changes too. We started to open later and shut earlier. This would leave us time to process more deliveries to vulnerable customers in the West Moors area and deep clean the shop.

“The deliveries have been working very well and we would like to thank everybody for supporting us and understanding the challenges of setting up a delivery service overnight.

“Matt suggested we get in vegetables as people had been asking and the local shops kept running out. We contacted a local veg supplier and the next day we were offering a basic selection. The vegetables have been popular and we now have fresh produce in five days a week to meet demand.”

Bread deliveries followed. The bread, scones and rolls come from Pandora’s Bakery based in West Moors who deliver daily.

Milk was harder to source. “We eventually found a small supplier called Meggy Moos, based in Shroton, near Blandford,” said Alex. “The milk is so nice we decided to get their cream and both have been a massive hit with customers.

“We hope to continue with the vegetables, bread and milk when life returns normal, as it’s been so well received.

“The panic buying has calmed down and customers are buying their usual amounts. We are busier, but that’s to be expected. We have worked hard to meet the needs of our customers and we hope to see everyone back shopping in the village soon.”

Webbs Butchers can put a 'cream tea' smile on your face

Webbs Butchers now deliver on Thursday and Friday afternoons. If you would like a delivery contact them on 01202 855817.