Shoppers have increasingly turned to their local convenience stores since snow has gripped the country, putting pressure on supplies of basic foods such as bread and milk.
Steve Parfett, managing director at Parfetts Cash & Carry, said supplies of bread and milk sold out at its depots within hours when the first heavy snow fell in the north-west of England last week.
The wholesaler, he said, doubled its milk order and tripled its bread order the following day and everything was sold out by lunchtime. Parfetts did manage to get another delivery of milk later in the day.
He said demand returned closer to normal when conditions eased in the region.
“When conditions are difficult, people are actively shopping locally,” he said.
Londis retailer Terry Caton, who runs three stores in Chesterfield, said sales of bread and milk tripled over a 24-hour period when the cold weather first tightened its grip.
East Anglia-based independent retailer Jonathan James said the cold weather had been “particularly good for trade”.
“People decided to shop locally rather than venture too far,” he said.
“While it proved difficult to keep stock levels up, our customers have certainly appreciated the work the team have put in to ensuring the shopper offer remained good.”
Atul Sodha, who runs a Londis store in Harefield, Middlesex, said: “We’ve seen increased sales of bread and milk as people are choosing to shop locally, rather than shopping further afield.
“We’re also offering deliveries to help the elderly in the area.”
Delivery lorries have found it difficult to get through in some areas of the country.
The Spar store owned by Simon Harrison and Julie Keenan in Tintagel, Cornwall, arranged for a delivery to be left in the Spar store four miles away in Delabole.
The retailers took four trips in a 4×4 vehicle to collect the products.
“Our village is quite isolated and we were experiencing a heavy demand from our customers in the conditions, so it was essential we got hold of our delivery as soon as possible,” said Keenan.
