"Christmas" nightmare "for British consumers due to market shortages"

Analysts make Christmas forecasts with fewer choices for the British consumer, based on the problems created by key job gaps in the market supply chain.

Speaking to the Times, retail market analyst Clive Black spoke of a "nightmare" of the holiday season, which is likely to be different this year from other years of abundance.

"There will be food on supermarket shelves, but there will be a distinct lack of variety. "The shortage of workers means that companies have not produced the same amount of turkeys or sown the same number of crops, and the lack of drivers of heavy-duty vehicles is exacerbating the problem," said the British analyst.

As he noted, many families will not be able to have the traditional in Britain Christmas meal with turkey and certain vegetables.

Mr Black added that the limited supply of industrially produced carbon dioxide, due to the reduced operation of factories that could not cope with the rising cost of gas, would likely lead to a limited supply of beer and carbonated soft drinks. Those that will be available will probably be more expensive. "In general, Christmas 2021 will be much more expensive," said Mr. Black.

To this "nightmarish" mix for British consumers he added the expected shortages of toys, bicycles, furniture and electronics due to increased bureaucracy and port health safety measures and greater maritime transport difficulties, as well as finding available containers.

Other experts note that there is no question of food shortages for British consumers, but of a significantly reduced variety of products.

One of the largest clothing companies in Britain, Next, also warned that its warehouses will remain understaffed during the holiday season if the government does not relax immigration rules.

Business Minister Kwasi Quarteng admitted that he could not guarantee that there would be no shortages in the market at Christmas.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs said the government recognizes the many challenges facing the market and has therefore offered 10.500 three-month work visas for truck and tanker drivers from abroad, as well as for poultry workers.

"The United Kingdom has a resilient food supply chain that has withstood unprecedented challenges and will continue to do so during the holiday season," he said.

Meanwhile, queues at service stations continue for a seventh day, although gas stations are declining.

In fact, Undersecretary of Economy Simon Clark said this morning that the situation "is under control again". As he explained, more fuel is now delivered to the gas stations than is sold.