Shoppers face shortages at UK grocery stores

The coronavirus crisis has severely disrupted the global supply chain, but Britain's divorce from the European Union late last year has exacerbated the problem in the UK. Shops are not getting products delivered to them as rules making it harder to hire EU citizens has left haulage companies with a drastic shortage of lorry drivers. Many people who returned to their home countries from Britain during the lockdown have not returned.

Co-op, a cooperative supermarket group, said it was "impacted by some patchy distribution" to its deliveries but it was working with suppliers to re-stock quickly. The group said it was recruiting 3,000 temporary workers "to keep depots working to capacity and stores stocked as quickly as possible". According to recent estimates, the UK currently faces a shortage of about 100,000 lorry drivers. A report this week from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) cited the Road Haulage Association as saying it would take at least 18 months to train enough Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers to replace those who have left.

For the CBI, the dual effects of Brexit and Covid-19 are a "perfect storm". Stock levels in relation to expected sales fell by more than 20 percent to a record low across the retail and distribution sector in August, according to the CBI. Shortages of goods in the UK "will probably last for a while and may even intensify further", according to a note by Capital Economics, a research consultancy. A report this week from the Confederation of British Industry cited the Road Haulage Association as saying it would take at least 18 months to train enough Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers to replace those who have left.