Shoppers across the country have been left shocked to find scores of empty shelves in their favourite supermarkets.
Angry shopper have been posting photos of the empty shelves on Twitter in supermarkets up and down the country.
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Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Aldi are just some of the stores affected.
Retail experts have said this is down to a ‘seasonal switch over’ as festive food is swapped out for healthier alternatives, and deliveries have been slower due to a lack of staff and nighttime deliveries.
Sainsbury’s and Asda have both said that the issues have affected just ‘a handful of stores’.
Retail expert Bryan Roberts, insghts director at TCC Global, told MailOnline that the lack of stock on shelves was due to a cocktail of factors.
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He said: ‘First there’s the seasonal switch-over, as supermarkets are selling through the Christmas stuff and the New Year party food and getting in the new healthy eating produce and fitness items. That’s quite a Herculean task for stores and supply chains to cope with.
‘Some suppliers aren’t running at full capacity as there are staff shortages with people still on holiday. It’s not until next week that things get going again, so there will be supply issues at play.
‘Then of course if there’s any mechanical break-downs with fridges and freezers out of action, that can cause issues.’
Mr Roberts also said that he had noticed that Sainsbury’s has had issues with bare shelves over the last couple of months, particularly with fresh produce.
A Sainsbury’s spokesman said in a statement: ‘We’ve apologised to customers for any inconvenience. This affected a very small number of stores, and we can confirm stock is already being replenished.’
An Asda spokesman said it was not suffering from a nationwide shortage of stock. It added that the empty shelf at the Wolverhampton store was ‘in the process of restocking’, and it has now been fully replenished.
Which stores are affected?
Local Sainsbury’s, Calne, Wiltshire
Sainsbury’s, Melton Road, Leicester
Sainsbury’s, Forestside, Belfast
Sainsbury’s, Clapham, London
Sainsbury’s, Mere Green, Birmingham
Morrisons, Weybridge, Surrey
Morrisons, Cardiff
Aldi, Caversham, Reading
Lidl, Hackney
Asda, Slough
Asda, Wolverhampton
Aldi, Weymouth
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