Burnett supermarket lifts limit on essential items

Clever business dealings by this grocery store has enabled the team to lift item limits.

IN STOCK: Biggenden FoodWorks employees Vanessa Holmes and Lee Clausen unloading a supply of toilet rolls in March. Picture: Erica Murree

A BURNETT supermarket has been able to lift restrictions on essential items after applying some resourceful business tactics.

Customers visiting Biggenden FoodWorks this week will be delighted to see flour, rice, pasta and toilet paper all in stock, without any product-per-customer limits.

Owner/manager Hardev Kooner said he was able to receive help from Fresh Fields FoodWorks in Bundaberg to secure the items.

“We’ve had to look outside of our normal supply chains recently,” Mr Kooner said.

“Believe it or not we actually got some of our stock from Western Australia.”

Mr Kooner said a FoodWorks representative had been meeting with the Federal Government on a weekly basis in Canberra to discuss the ongoing stock issues for supermarkets.

“At this stage, nothing is going to change until the end of May, from what we’ve been told,” he said.

“However we’re still working hard to improve certain categories in the store.”

The supermarket was hit hard by panic buyers in the early stages of the Covid-19 outbreak, as out-of-town shoppers pillaged the small country store.

Since then, the store has only been able to receive basic core items from their warehouse.

“We’ve been monitoring our stock daily, and lifting the limits, but distribution has been the problem,” Mr Kooner said.

“We often relying on overseas products, so once that breaks, you’re stuck, and you can really see that at the moment.”

The connection with Fresh Fields FoodWorks has helped several other stores in the Bundaberg area, providing them with sought-after day-to-day items.

“We’re going to supply our customers when we can, it’s not about price at the moment, that’s out the window,” Mr Kooner said.

“It’s if we can get it, and we’re slowly lifting restrictions as items arrive.”

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