Tesco imposes limits to curb panic-buying
Tesco has introduced a three item limit on key products such as flour, pasta, toilet roll and anti-bacterial wipes to stop shoppers bulk-buying after the Government rolled out new curbs to suppress Covid.
Many customers stockpiled staples at the start of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown in March, stripping some shelves bare.
“We have good availability, with plenty of stock to go round, and we would encourage our customers to shop as normal,” a Tesco spokeswoman said.
“To ensure that everyone can keep buying what they need, we have introduced bulk-buy limits on a small number of products.”
Waitrose is also imposing limits on some items in all stores on Friday, a spokeswoman said.
On Thursday Morrisons became the first UK supermarket to put fresh restrictions on sales of goods including disinfectant and toilet roll.
Earlier this week Tesco, along with rival Sainsbury’s, said they had plenty of capacity both online and in-store and had not seen any signs of bulk-buying.
Kimberly-Clark said on Thursday it was seeing a moderate increase in demand for Andrex toilet tissue, but that it had more than enough product to ensure a steady supply across the UK.
The British Retail Consortium has told consumers to keep shopping normally in a bid to stop a repeat of the panic-buying seen in March.
Andrew Opie, its food and sustainability director, said on Thursday: “Supply chains are stronger than ever before, and we do not anticipate any issues in the availability of food or other goods under a future lockdown. Nonetheless, we urge consumers to be considerate of others and shop as they normally would.”
