Supply chain ‘stays strong’ in face of riots
The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said that no members had reported supply difficulties or raised the disturbances as a concern.
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) also said the distribution sector had “stayed strong”.
It had had no reports from members of disruption to their food deliveries, with most of the trouble taking place in high streets and around retail premises.
Distributors such as DHL for example had already reported that impact had been minimal.
Re-routing to avoid trouble
An FTA spokesman said: “Demand from retailers must have been displaced if shops were kept closed, so I am sure that there was re-routing going on. However details have yet to emerge.”
The FTA was urging transport planners to keep drivers out of areas if problems did occur, he added.
But the impact has hit food retailers hard, and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) welcomed the government’s temporary suspension of business rates for affected premises and assurances that even firms without adequate insurance would be compensated.
BRC director general Stephen Robertson warned: “The retail sector has been battling difficult trading conditions for much of this year, and sadly for some shops these attacks will be the final straw.”
Widespread rioting and looting was seen around London in the last week, spreading to Birmingham and areas including Manchester, Salford, Liverpool, Leicester, Bristol, Gloucester and Nottingham.
The damage caused by riots in London and other English cities will cost insurers more than £200m, the Association of British Insurers said last Friday, doubling its previous claims estimate.
