Delivery bottlenecks
Are we threatened with empty grocery shelves? That’s what Aldi, Lidl and Rewe say
Empty supermarket shelves in the UK machester
© Jon Super / DPA
Supermarkets and discounters are also affected by the disrupted supply chains around the world. Aldi and Lidl report delivery problems, but the food supply is assured.
Empty supermarket shelves are one of the nightmare imaginations of consumers. In Great Britain you could recently see such pictures regularly. Corona pandemic, Brexit and a lack of truck drivers caused massive delivery problems there. Some grocers even put cardboard pictures of the missing goods on the shelves to hide the yawning emptiness.
It’s not that far for us, but in this country too, disrupted supply chains are causing bottlenecks for many goods. Bicycles have been in short supply for months, chips for cars and technical items are missing, and grocers are not spared either. As the food newspaper reports, the industry is increasingly struggling with bottlenecks in the supply of goods. It is no longer just non-food products that are affected; the number of failures in food is also increasing.
For example, the wholesaler Lekkerland, which belongs to the Rewe Group, confirmed to the trade journal that some suppliers were experiencing delivery problems. Certain articles from individual manufacturers are sometimes not available for weeks. According to the report, things like cola cans, sweets and tobacco products are affected. The scarcity of aluminum is also noticeable in beverage cans.
Food supply secured
However, the supermarkets and discounters do not see any reason to panic. At the request of the star The large food retailers do report delivery delays. However, they do not see the food supply at risk. For example, the discounter Lidl explains: “The availability of groceries and drugstore items is given in our branches. If an item is not available at short notice, it will be delivered as soon as possible.” On the other hand, there are persistent delivery delays for items in the non-food range due to problems in sea freight traffic, which is why advertising dates for promotional goods had to be adjusted.
Supermarket giant Rewe also explains: “We are currently not seeing any noticeable effects on the supply situation in Germany. With the start of the corona pandemic, we increased inventory levels across all levels so that we could compensate for any delays in delivery.” The group also emphasizes that fresh foods such as fruit and vegetables, sausage and milk come from Germany and neighboring European countries. In other words, disruptions in global maritime trade are of little consequence.
Persistent problems in maritime trade
A spokesman for Aldi Nord also emphasizes “that we cannot confirm any impairment of the supply of food or near-food items”. The delivery of promotional items from the non-food sector, on the other hand, could be delayed due to internationally disrupted logistics flows. “For weeks and months there have been significantly fewer empty containers available, which means that goods that have already been manufactured in Asia cannot be loaded and transported immediately.” In addition, shipping companies would cancel trips between Asia and Europe at irregular intervals, which would lead to further postponements.
The sister company Aldi Süd also expresses itself similarly. “Like many other retailers, Aldi Süd is part of the world market and is therefore partially affected by international delivery delays.” The blockade in the Suez Canal and the temporary closings of ports in Yantian and Ningbo would have had a significant impact on the infrastructure of all international freight traffic. “These effects are still noticeable and it is not yet possible to predict how long the situation will last.”
The supply of food is guaranteed. In the event of delivery bottlenecks or harvest-related fluctuations, Aldi Süd switches to additional suppliers. Goods are ordered early and in some cases temporarily stored. “If, despite all efforts, goods are out of stock in the meantime, it is a temporary exceptional situation,” explains Aldi Süd.
According to the traders, there is no threat of British conditions in this country. Internally, however, it should not look as relaxed as the companies appear to be. Compared to the food newspaper, an anonymous Edeka manager described maintaining the availability of goods as a “daily struggle”. There was no threat of blank shelves, but “we will see gaps”. At the request of the star Edeka did not comment.