Waitrose slams reports of empty shelves insisting it is ‘better stocked’ than rivals
Waitrose has claimed its supermarkets are better stocked than some rivals after claims that an IT error has left some stores with empty shelves.
According to the high-end supermarket, owned by John Lewis Partnership, independent data revealed product availability at its branches was higher than at competitors.
In a social media post, Waitrose said: “We’re not complacent and as always we’re working hard to give our customers the best Christmas.”
Instead, it revealed Waitrose stands at 91.3%, according to the independent data from The Grocer. This is ahead of some other supermarkets, including Tesco (90.8%) and Morrisons (90.4%).
However, the statement did not deny a report that an IT upgrade has left many stores in chaos.
The grocer’s statement comes as a Sunday Times report claimed Waitrose’s attempt to switch to a new stock management system has been riddled with technical faults, resulting in wrong quantities of items being recorded in store.
This is said to have resulted in unexpected shortages of baked beans, coffee and other household essentials.
Waitrose recently reported a 5% drop in like-for-like sales to £3.6 billion, as parent company The John Lewis Partnership reported a £99 million loss for the half-year to 30 July.
The half-year loss, compared to £29 million last year, is attributed to the retail giant “forgoing profit” to help customers and partners through the cost-of-living crisis.
