South Africa’s upper-class retail giant Woolworths has reported supply disruptions affecting fresh produce and red meat in select stores, mainly in Gauteng, due to adverse weather and supplier issues.
According to a News24 report, Woolworths cited heavy rains in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal as the reason for the limited availability of certain vegetables, while a supplier-related issue had impacted red meat stock.
In a statement on Thursday [6 March], the retailer explained that heavy rains in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal had impacted the availability of key fresh produce items like lettuce, spinach, and cauliflower.
This comes after South African comedian Rory Pezter took to X (formerly Twitter) to highlight Woolworths’ meat shortage, describing the scene as “apocalyptic.”
In response, Woolworths acknowledged the issue, stating, “Hi Rory, we’re aware of a supplier issue that has meant less stock of our meat on shelves. It’s a top priority to get supply back to normal, and we are very sorry for the impact this has had on you and your shopping trips, please bear with us – we’re working on it.”
https://x.com/RoryPetzer/status/1897224992716398764
To address these shortages, the retailer assured customers that its supplier has resumed production and shelves should be restocked by the end of this week.
“Our supplier has resolved their internal challenges; production started on Friday and has been fully restored,” the retailer said, noting, “Product can take a few days to navigate our supply chain, but we are certain our shelves will be full soon – by the end of the week at the latest.”
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