Lidl staff are “working around the clock” to keep shelves stocked during Christmas, the boss of its British arm has claimed.
Christian Härtnagel said the discounter was being hit by labour shortages and import problems, but that stocks had improved from September.
“Availability… [is] still not where we would like to have it in normal times but our customers are going to have a great Christmas,” he told The Grocer.
“To deliver this Christmas will be much harder work than any Christmas before.”
READ MORE: Lidl champagne beats Moët & Chandon in taste test
Härtnagel admitted that Lidl had not been in “a good place” 12 weeks ago.
“To overcome and deal with all these issues – shortage of transport capacity, shortage of labour at production sites, shortage of labour in warehouses, imports, Brexit – we have incredible teams working around the clock,” he said.
“We’re getting it done but we’re getting it done with huge work and huge commitment from our colleagues.”
One major supply chain issue is the global shortage of lorry drivers.
The government announced it will issue up to 5000 visas for overseas hauliers, but Britain is thought to need around 90,000.
It comes as Lidl reported a £9.8 million profit for 2021, up from last year’s £25.2 million loss.
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