IT’S CONFIRMED: IRELAND has gone mad for bread in the run up to Storm Emma.
Figures compiled by retailing group BWG Foods on sales across its network of over 1,000 convenience stores reveals that Brennan’s sliced pan, two litre milk cartons, six-pack eggs, firelighters, and wine are the top-selling products amongst Irish shoppers during the cold snap.
Earlier this week, social media was awash with posts showing supermarket shelves stripped bare of essentials like bread, milk, fuel, and fresh vegetables and food produce.
Bread suppliers said there has been a significant increase their production to meet the “dramatic increase in sales being experienced”.
Even Sean Hogan, chair of National Emergency Coordination Group gave a nod to the breadsteria at a press conference on the weather situation today, when he said with a smile:
Hopefully everybody has enough bread.
He followed this with a serious statement that he did not believe that people were overreacting because this weather hitting Ireland is unprecedented.
Stocking-up
The storm resulted in some apocalyptic scenes in supermarkets around the country today as shoppers panic-bought ahead of the 4pm curfew.
BWG Foods, which distributes to Spar, Eurospar, Londis, Mace and XL branches around the country, estimates that more than one million transactions will have been completed by the end of today as shoppers stocked up on essentials ahead of the country’s lock down.
Commenting on the last-minute shopping surge sweeping the nation, Leo Crawford, Group CEO said their retailers experienced unprecedented levels of customer traffic in their stores today “as people stock up on essential food, heating fuel, and more indulgent purchases such as wine”.
Crawford said their nationwide store delivery service was operating at maximum capacity from 2am on Thursday morning to ensure that shelves nationwide were well stocked, with volume up 20% over the past number of days.
“As family run businesses, our retailers see an important responsibility in serving the needs of their local communities during times like this and particularly those most vulnerable to challenging weather conditions by maintaining service where possible,” he said.
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