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Coronavirus: Iceland boss urges Britons to ignore Boris Johnson's advice on shopping

‘If you are healthy ... please do shop in store,’ Richard Walker says

Samuel Osborne
Friday 27 March 2020 13:11 GMT
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Healthy people should go against Boris Johnson’s advice and visit supermarkets in person to free up delivery slots for the elderly and vulnerable, the managing director of Iceland has said.

Richard Walker said while the company has “done their best” to restrict online orders to those most in need, any new slots released are being “quickly snapped up”.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Friday: “In a seminal address to the nation, the prime minister urged everyone to use food delivery services wherever possible, but the reality is that current demand vastly exceeds supply.

“I’d actually urge the opposite of the prime minister, in that, if you are healthy, not in a vulnerable category and adhere to social distancing guidelines, please do shop in store, but make sure you shop responsibly.

“No panic-buying, adhere to the two-metre rule, because that will enhance priority online for those who need it most.”

While he urged people not to panic-buy, Mr Walker said he could “totally understand why people are fearful given the endless images” of “desolate supermarket shelves”.

“But stockpiling is inherently socially divisive because it’s not an option for those who can’t afford it,” he added.

“By stripping the shelves and not shopping responsibly, it means that others go without.

“Panic-buying and stockpiling is also completely unnecessary because production has not dried up.

“The current shortages will largely be resolved once people simply revert to their normal shopping habits and shop for what they actually need, which I’m pleased to report is starting to happen.”

Mr Walker also called for more protection for store colleagues, saying staff “really felt on the front line in a war”.

“It is a reality of any shopworker’s daily life at the moment that they are facing customer abuse and frustration,” he said.

Mr Walker said there had been delays in obtaining face masks for staff but the supermarket was “doing our best to protect them by enforcing all of the new rules around social distancing” as well as installing protective screens on all tills.

He called on the government do provide more practical support for supermarkets, saying: “It’s all very well for the government to lay down the law on what retailers must do to protect their colleagues and customers but it would really help if they could give us some more practical support in expediting the delivery of PPE equipment.”

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