Following Colruyt and Lidl last week, Aldi and Carrefour stores will also put a limit on the sales per person for certain products, including oil and flour. Supermarkets have noticed a peak in sales of those products, as the war in Ukraine is likely to affect their import.
Ukraine and Russia are the EU’s biggest source of sunflower oil and wheat, and with the conflict raging on and the sanctions for Russia, prices for those products are expected to peak. Supermarkets already feared empty shelves and a price explosion for bread, and are now taking action to prevent running out of other raw products.
Colruyt, the country’s main supermarket chain, was the first to announce limits on the quantities that customers can purchase, with a maximum of two bottles of oil and two bags of flour per person.
No shortage yet, say stores
The brand assured that there is no current shortage, but that the consumption is “no longer normal”. Lidl also announced restrictions on oil, canned vegetables and toilet paper.
Aldi has followed suit, introducing a maximum of three for oil, wheat, flour and bread mix products in all its stores. The company will inform customers through posters displayed in stores.
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“Our supplier is currently able to cope with production, but due to the sudden spike in sales of these products, the supply chain unfortunately cannot keep up,” an Aldi spokesperson explained.
Carrefour is analysing the situation in each store, saying that a number of customers have indeed changed their behaviour, causing an increased demand for certain products. It is up to each store manager to decided on which products restrictions will be imposed.
