British grocery stores are planning cuts to services such as cafes and counters to keep stores running with a smaller workforce.
Many staff may be forced to stay home if they show symptoms of coronavirus or if the schools are closed, posing the issue of childcare.
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“What (products) we can and can’t get is the least of current challenges,” an industry source told Reuters.
The Big Four, J Sainsbury PLC (LON:SBRY), Tesco PLC (LON:TSCO), Walmart Inc’s (NYSE:WMT) Asda and Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC (LON:MRW) have been struggling to ensure basic items such as toilet roll and pasta are available to customers.
Grocery stores have taken relatively low hits in the stock market bloodbath as the general public has been stockpiling ahead of a potential lockdown.
Sainsbury’s shares were trading 2% higher on Monday at 182.15p.