Kmart: Restock date revealed as customers demand Australian-made products

Several weeks on from the peak of the panic-buying madness, Kmart’s shelves are still bare. While a restock date has been confirmed, customers aren’t happy with the reason for the delay.

Frustrated Kmart customers have hit out at the discount chain for empty shelves caused by reliance on foreign-made stock as they reveal when stores will finally be replenished.

Thrifty shoppers will have to wait until the end of July before stock levels finally return to normal at Kmart stores across NSW and Queensland.

Wait times for stock levels to fully replenish will depend on individual product categories, Kmart says, with the dates listed below:

* Home Office – mid July

* Furniture & Accessories – mid to end July

* Kitchen & Dining – mid July

* Nursery – end June

* Bikes & Exercise Equipment – end July

The news comes as customers hit out at the company for low stock levels, with pictures of shops stripped of popular items from kitchenwares to bedding flooding social media.

Kmart customers have slammed the company for empty shelves as a result of reliance on Chinese-made products.

The company has assured customers stock levels will return to normal in July.

The stock shortage has been caused by COVID-19, which has halted manufacturing of its products, most of which are made in China and south east Asia.

John Gualtieri, retail director at Kmart, said softened demand for products during the lockdown also resulted in the company pausing inventory shipments from these foreign manufacturers.

“Some of the countries where we manufacture our physical products were also put into lockdown at this time, putting production of some of our goods on hold for a period of time,” he said.

The message to customers …

Stock is beginning to return to Kmart stores, but some product lines won’t be available until late July.

The announcement has sparked a fierce reaction from customers, who say stock levels wouldn’t be so low if products were Australian-made.

“How bout you start supplying Australian owned and made products,” one customer posted on Kmart’s Facebook page.

Some customers are calling on Kmart to stock more Australian-made products.

While others threatened a Kmart boycott.

Another furious customer threatened to never buy from Kmart again, saying “we don’t want Chinese products anymore. We want Australian made. It’s time to change and take back our manufacturing. I am no longer buying products not made in Australia.”

Mr Gualtieri apologised to customers for the low stock levels and said the company was working “fast" to get products back on shelves.

A Kmart spokesperson said while products were designed in Melbourne, they were “proud” to manufacture products in Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and China.