After Colruyt and Lidl last week, it is the turn of Aldi and perhaps some Carrefour stores to limit the quantities of certain products that customers can buy. Last week, Colruyt, the country’s largest supermarket chain, was the first to announce limits on the sale of certain products. Customers were asked to bring a maximum of two pieces of oil or flour. There is no shortage, he said, but consumption is “no longer normal”. Lidl announced restrictions on oil, canned vegetables and toilet paper.
Other supermarkets are now following suit. Aldi is introducing a rule for all its stores: customers are not allowed to buy more than three pieces of oil, wheat flour and baking mixes per receipt. The discounter will inform customers through posters in stores. “Our supplier is currently able to handle production, but due to the sudden spike in sales of these products, the supply chain cannot keep up.“, it is specified.
Case by case for Carrefour
Carrefour is studying the issue store by store. “The situation has evolved“, says a spokeswoman. “Thanks to the messages they picked up, a number of consumers changed their behavior and we noticed an increase in demand for certain products.“Each store manager decides for which products restrictions can be imposed.
The war in Ukraine raised fears of supply problems. Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s largest producers of wheat and sunflower oil.