Madrid supermarkets have returned to an alert situation similar to that of MarchThis time due to the storm Filomena, with the shelves of the stores in some areas completely empty and people gathering food in case the situation continues. Mercamadrid has been closed since Saturday, and trucks have not been able to access the city center for two days to replenish the product in stores.
However, the various associations in the distribution sector (Aces, Asedas or Anged), which represent supermarket chains operating in Spain, have asked for peace of mind, because “this situation is not like March. Some trucks have already been able to deliver tonight and it is a matter of hours before they reach the rest of the establishments “, explain from one of these associations.
The priority since yesterday “was that it could begin to be distributed last night from the warehouses to the stores where there is access,” these sources explain. Many workers in these supermarkets “have been cleaning the entrances to the warehouses all night so the trucks could get in. ”
The problems are especially in the stores in more isolated locations and narrow streets, where there is still a lot of snow and you cannot enter. “There are areas, the most accessible, that are replaced. It will be around half”, qualify.
Stores open
As it happened in March, during the first confinement, the food distribution network in Spain is making an effort to guarantee supply. On Saturday many supermarkets closed because staff were unable to go to their jobs.
Yesterday they opened most and today also Monday. Stores usually have what they call a safety stock. In the warehouse there is more product, which is replenished as it runs out in the store. But “they live quite a day and There may be stock out of stock, especially in products that have not been served since Friday, especially fresh “.
Mercamadrid, the fresh produce wholesale market, expects to resume normal activity tomorrow, Tuesday. There are still loading and unloading docks closed by the snow, although on Sunday, the emergency services already managed to open a path in each direction of the main traffic lanes of the facilities.
“Thanks to the efforts of the store workers and the coordination of the companies with the administrations a good number of stores have already been replenished and it will be progressive in the next few hours, but it is important that citizens are responsible and do not collect food “, explains Ignacio GarcÃa-Magarzo, director of Asedas, an association that groups together Spanish supermarket chains.
“There are enough shops and products to guarantee the minimum needs of households even if the situation continues in the coming days. And the exhaustive control in the store makes us able to request the replacement of the product in a matter of hours, as long as the logistics allow it, “said this Monday. Aurelio del Pino, president of Aces, which represents the supermarkets of Auchan Retail , Carrefour Group, Eroski Group, Lidl and SuperCor.
Less psychosis
Some stores are limiting, for example, the purchase of bread, to prevent some consumers from stocking up and leaving other customers without product. Industry sources explain that, however, the situation “is different from March, because then everyone activated the pantry operation, but now they are not taking the packaged product like crazy, as it did then. Also, there was not much of a crowd in the stores on Saturday. ”
“It is important to remember that we are in a short-term, specific situation that is gradually being resolved and that does not present any supply problem for the population. Specific problems with the supply of some goods will be reestablished as mobility in the most affected areas allows it “, they also insist from Anged, the National Association of Large Distribution Companies, to which Carrefour or Eroski belong.
They recall that the UME and alert services have worked over the weekend to give access to logistics nodes and fundamental facilities such as Mercamadrid and at this time, its main partners have already opened a large part of their network of stores.
“Disbursements of loaded trucks are already taking place, but 3,000 are still paralyzed”points out Francisco Aranda, president of UNO, the logistics employer.
According to Aranda, after two days of total stoppage “the supply chain is at its maximum tension”. From the association they request “the immediate unblocking of access to the logistics platforms and industrial estates, especially in Alcalá de Henares, San Fernando, Coslada or Getafe, and that the Barajas air cargo center be unlocked.
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