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Shoppers face ‘disruption and frustration’ this Christmas amid gaps on shelves and rising prices, retail industry experts warned yesterday.
At the same time, concerns triggered by the recent petrol crisis, soaring energy bills and the rising cost of living are sapping consumer confidence, they said.
It came as figures showed retail sales growth in September of only 0.6 per cent, disappointing for a month that normally does well because of back to school purchases.
It emerged last night that containers are sitting at the country’s biggest port for up to ten days due to the shortage of HGV drivers
Helen Dickinson OBE, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said swift action by the Government to deal with the HGV driver shortage was needed to prepare for Christmas. ‘Retailers, farmers and manufacturers are making preparations to ensure enough food and festive gifts move through the supply chain in time,’ she added.
‘Unfortunately, the lack of drivers is hindering these preparations and increasing costs, which will eventually be reflected in higher prices.
‘Retailers are working hard to recruit and train thousands of new British drivers, but in the interim
