Coles, Woolworths, Foodland, Drakes see panic buying back, but SA won’t run out; Kimberly-Clark churning it out 24/7
SA supermarkets are seeing a level of panic buying of toilet paper return, but have good stock on hand and steady supply as Kleenex maker Kimberly-Clark at Millicent continues to operate at full capacity.
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Supermarkets across the board in SA are seeing more than usual toilet paper sales, with Coles increasing local orders to cope with the rising demand.
“We have seen a level of panic buying return this weeks, so we are bringing in a lot more toilet paper,” Coles SA general manager Sophie Wong said.
“We haven’t set any limits yet but are reviewing the situation daily,” Ms Wong said.
“We are getting adequate supplies at the moment with deliveries on schedule from the SA distribution centre.”
Kimberly-Clark Australia communications head Annelise Tregoning said activity at the factory hasn’t slowed down since going into 24/7 production at the start of the pandemic in Australia in March.
“Our mill in South Australia is still operating at full capacity in response to the demand for our products nationally,” she said.
The factory, which makes the Kleenex range of toilet paper and face tissues, among other products, for the Australian and NZ markets employs 360 staff and has implemented a number of COVID-19 safety measures such as regular temperature checks and social distancing at all times.
A Woolworths spokesman also said a few stores were seeing higher than usual demand, but not anywhere near previous levels seen in March and April.
“We’ll keep a close eye on demand over the coming days and we continue to ask customers to buy only what they need,” he said.
“We have good levels of stock flowing through our distribution centres and into South Australian stores.”
The major retailers have direct supply relationships with early learning centres, aged care homes and other facilities, which have remained consistent through the pandemic.
Foodland Supermarkets chief executive officer Franklin dosSantos said some stores had introduced limits to manage daily requirements between deliveries.
“From where we stand, Foodland is currently experiencing above normal volumes in terms of purchases,” Mr dosSantos said.
“However, there is no need for customers to panic … Our supply chain does not envisage any issues even with the current increased volume.”
Drakes Supermarkets director John-Paul Drake said introduction of toilet paper limit is “purely precautionary”.
“We have 12 weeks’ worth of toilet paper stock in our distribution centre – if our customers purchase their normal amount, we won’t see the issues that we had in the first wave,” Mr Drake said.