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Northern Italy lockdown announced
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Warnings of grocery shortages
Reports that Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne has set out supply chain risks due to COVID-19, including the prospect of empty shelves in supermarkets -
"Feed the nation" plans
Retailers have come together to draw up plans to feed the nation in the event of stockpiling / panic buying - working with suppliers to scale back variety in order to maintain supply of basic staples -
Supermarket delivery hours extended
UK government extends delivery hours enabling round-the-clock restocking of shelves -
Restrictions on quantities of some products imposed
Supermarkets reported to be restricting quantities of some key products experiencing shortages on shelves to prevent stockpiling -
Widespread social sharing of empty shelves
Report that there may be a contagion link between social media posts and trending hashtags featuring empty shelves across UK, fear about COVID, and changing consumer habits in the UK -
Italy, Spain and Switzerland in lockdown
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Supermarkets ask consumers to be considerate
Media reports that UK supermarkets issue joint statement asking shoppers to only buy what they need -
UK Government imposes restrictions
People asked to work from home, avoid all non-essential travel and social activities -
France lockdown announced
During lockdown, most citizens confined to home, allowed to shop for food once per week. -
Increased demand for online shopping
Ocado reports an increase in demand for its service, and has closed its app, introduced a queueing system on its website -
Limits on some products introduced
Ocado limits quantities of some products to ensure sufficient supply to meet increased demand -
Ocado closes to new customers
In response to increased demand for online shopping, Ocado has closed to new customers -
School closures announced in UK
Schools close to all but children of key workers from 20th March -
Ocado website outage
Demand is 10 times higher than usual, and supermarket cannot meet it. The website is down for 2 days, 19th-21st March. -
UK out-of-home businesses shut
All cafes, restaurants and bars required to close -
Highest ever volume of grocery sales in UK
Grocery purchases 43.6% higher than the same week in 2019 -
UK Lockdown begins
UK and Germany enter lockdown - UK citizens allowed out each day to buy groceries and exercise -
"Use online delivery where possible"
Message from UK Prime Minister at start of lockdown -
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UK lockdown
UK in full lockdown with all non-essential shops and services closed, out of home food closed, travel, education and workplaces severely restricted -
Change to respond to demand
Ocado announces that due to demand levels that it cannot meet, it is increasing the number of delivery slots, reducing the number of deliveries available to customers, to one per week each, and is suspending delivery of bulky items (e.g. bottled water) to increase deliveries. -
National lockdown in Ireland
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Over 100 countries in full or partial lockdown
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Shortages continue
Reports describe food shortages in supermarkets continuing, less so in independent shops -
Further changes to cope with demand
Ocado announces that web traffic has been 100 times its expected levels, while order size is up 50%. In response it is prioritising vulnerable and long-time customers, offering refunds to those unable to get a delivery slot, and is suspending some services. -
Shopping habits returning to normal
Ocado reports that shopping habits are normalising with supply of product and delivery better able to meet demand -
Ocado accepts new customers
Ocado reports that new customers can now sign up and order online