The supermarket sector is bracing for an expected rush on the shops due to the closure of the catering industry. Delhaize is already calling for long-life products to be stocked now.
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Do not wait until the last moment to buy things that you can already get at home, Delhaize calls on its customers. “We adjust our promotional campaigns ourselves, to encourage customers to already get certain items at home and to buy them in installments”, says Roel Dekelver, spokesman for Delhaize Belgium.
“It is better to buy pasta, sauces, drinks and everything that is perishable now,” says Dekelver. Delhaize will also adjust the shopping hours on certain days. On Wednesday December 23 and December 30, the Delhaize supermarket will open its doors at 7 am. That is also the case on Thursday, December 24, but that day it will close at 5 pm to give the staff the opportunity to celebrate Christmas Eve at home.
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Delhaize also expects it to be very busy at the collection points and also for home delivery. For home deliveries, Delhaize will now provide home deliveries on a few Sundays. According to Roel Dekelver, Delhaize has increased its capacity for home deliveries by 30 percent. It is doubtful whether this will be enough. “You have logistical restrictions such as available transport material,” says Dekelver.
Restaurants closed
During the previous year-end peak, the demand for home delivery already increased by 30 percent. During the first lockdown there was a small tsunami. Also at the collection points. Retailers such as Colruyt, Delhaize and Carrefour were then unable to offer their customers enough time slots, which meant that online orders could not be ordered for several days.
The expectation is that the restaurants will remain closed, so that the pressure on the supermarkets will be higher than normal. And because people cannot go to restaurants, they would organize more dinners at home. This means that the supermarkets expect more busy days than during a normal end-of-year period.
The supermarkets are also concerned that long queues may arise. “We are going to apply the safety rules strictly,” says Dekelver. The chains have made various investments to be able to offer disinfected shopping trolleys. Colruyt has previously invested in personal tools. Delhaize recently posted a new disinfection system.
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