LONDON-HEADQUARTERED high-end department store John Lewis is chartering a fleet of extra ships, along with a number of other businesses, to make sure it has Christmas stock on time.
John Lewis chair Sharon White said the business was throwing everything at the issues to make sure Christmas would not be disrupted. Retailers have been grappling with a host of supply chain problems from driver shortages to shipping delays, reports BBC.
John Lewis has 34 department stores and 331 Waitrose supermarket stores alongside its online operation. "We're acting hard and we're acting fast to make sure we can still deliver a fantastic sparkly Christmas to our customers," Ms White said.
She added that the department store chain had introduced a host of measures to help manage labour shortages: "We've raised wages for heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers and we're really beginning to see the results of that."
There is now a shortage of more than 100,000 drivers in the UK, out of a pre-pandemic total of about 600,000, a Road Haulage Association survey of its members estimates.
Christmas is when many retailers make most of their profits, including John Lewis.
There's still a shortage of containers and it's also tough getting a space on the vast ships that carry them from China. Ms White said the John Lewis Christmas campaign in stores would be delayed by two weeks.
John Lewis said it was focusing on expanding its products and offerings for the holiday season, including 10 new Christmas emporiums in John Lewis and expanding areas related to the department store within Waitrose supermarkets.
However, Ms White sought to temper expectations: "We're not through Covid and there's more uncertainty than we would like."
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